Dear Dr. SerVaas: After severe bouts of depression and mania, I was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder at age 27 and was put on lithium. Then I fell in love and married at age 30. When I became pregnant, I was concerned about the adverse effects on the fetus and the concept of the lithium babies registry and stopped taking lithium against my psychiatrist's advice. Despite his dire predictions, I was OK all during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding without the drug. The psychiatrist told me that people could have "years of normalcy sandwiched between episodes" but that the disorder would always return. I nursed my son for three years, then became pregnant again. I nursed my second son for three years. Our children are now 10 and 14, and I've had no episodes and have been drug free since 1988.

Can pregnancy and breastfeeding change your brain's chemistry permanently? Is it possible to "outgrow" bipolar disorder?

name withheld
via e-mail

Dear Reader: Thank you for your letter. We're always glad to hear about happy endings. We are sending your letter to Dr. John Nurnberger to see if he has any information about the hormones of pregnancy and bipolar. I'm sure your case history will add to his vast knowledge of this perplexing disease.

To help shed light on bipolar, we suggest you read Kay Redfield Jamison's definitive books on bipolar and then get a copy of Lizzie Simon's book Detour. Dr. Jamison and Miss Simon were not as fortunate as you. In their cases, bipolar created havoc in their early years. They overcame their afflictions and are now helping others.

The Post has published articles about bipolar that can now be obtained from the SatEvePost Web site. "Omega-3 for Bipolar Disorder: Restoring the Balance" in the Sept./Oct. 2001 issue reports that fatty acids found primarily in fish oil may be important allies in the battle against bipolar disorder. For further details, contact our archivist, Steve Pettinga, or visit our archives at www.saturdayeveningpost.com.