Understanding Hair Follicle Drug Testing and How It Works

Residing in Irvine, California, Jorge Galindo is a licensed marriage, family, and child therapist who works alongside his wife Miriam Galindo in their private practice. With over 20 years of experience, Jorge Galindo has received training and certification by Quest Diagnostics for hair follicle drug testing in forensic cases involving juveniles.

A hair follicle drug test is performed to determine drug use patterns through hair samples. While a urine sample has been the traditional way of assessing drug use over a couple of days, hair follicle drug testing is more efficient as it can check a person’s drug usage in the past 90 days.

In juvenile cases, a court may order drug testing on a child to determine whether they have been abusing illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, morphine, codeine, and phencyclidine. A small hair sample is collected from the person’s head during the test and sent to the laboratory.

The use of two methods maintains test results’ accuracy. The first method is a rapid screening method involving an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). If this method produces a positive result for a particular substance, the technician retests the hair sample using the second method. The second method uses confirmatory chromatographic testing like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This second test is used to rule out any possibility of a false positive.

Differences Between Type I and Type II Bipolar Disorders

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For nearly two decades, private practice therapist Dr. Jorge Galindo has counseled individuals and families involved in inpatient, outpatient, and court-mandated programs. Jorge Galindo has extensive experience treating individuals with bipolar disorder in a psychiatric care setting.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by intertwining periods of deep depressive and elevated manic states. The condition is divided into two main types, type I and type II. Type I bipolar is defined by at least one full manic episode. During a manic episode, a person with bipolar I may experience symptoms such as restlessness, intense euphoria, and poor or risky behaviors. These such symptoms may be so severe that hospitalization may become necessary.

People with type I may or may not experience depressive symptoms. However, individuals with type II experience depressive symptoms that persist for two weeks or longer and at least one hypomanic episode, which is generally not as severe as a full manic episode.

Since the symptoms of hypomania are less pronounced than full mania, people with bipolar II are more likely to seek treatment for their depression. Both types require a professional diagnosis and can be treated with a combination of talk therapy and medication.

Differences between Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder

 

Bipolar
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As a privately practicing therapist, Dr. Jorge Galindo works with individuals, couples, and families. While working at California’s St. Joseph Hospital, Dr. Jorge Galindo received in-depth training in the evaluation and treatment of bipolar disorder.

Most people with recognized bipolar disorder receive a diagnosis of either bipolar I or bipolar II. The conditions are similar in many ways – both involve extreme emotional highs and lows as well as periods in which no symptoms are present.

The primary difference between the two diagnoses lies in the type of emotional highs the person experiences. A person with bipolar I disorder experiences manic episodes, which are periods of intensely heightened emotions and energy. The period lasts a minimum of seven days and may feel euphoric or sexually driven.

A person experiencing true mania often engages in reckless behavior, such as excessive impulse spending or promiscuity. The person may feel reckless, have trouble concentrating, and have a minimal need for sleep. Symptoms typically are noticeable even to the casual observer and are often so intense that they mandate hospital care.

In bipolar II disorder, the person experiences hypomania, a period in which energy and mood are elevated, although not to the degree evident in mania. The person’s behavior is different from the norm and may be noticeable to others but tends to be less disruptive than the behavior of a person with mania.

St. Joseph Hospital – Providing Comprehensive Mental Health Care

St. Joseph Hospital
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A therapist and counselor in Irvine, California, Dr. Jorge Galindo is also a reserve deputy sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Dr. Jorge Galindo studied at Alliant University’s California School of Professional Psychology and completed an internship at St. Joseph Hospital, an award-winning inpatient psychiatric hospital in Orange, California.

St. Joseph Hospital provides treatment to individuals in need of 24-hour treatment for psychiatric issues or chemical dependency, including comorbid conditions. Patients receive comprehensive care, beginning with a physician consultation to discuss their medical and psychosocial conditions and to create a plan of care. The hospital’s multidisciplinary team then carries out the treatment plans, which entail medication management under supervision and treatment of both psychiatric symptoms and substance dependence, including supervised detoxification from alcohol and other substances.

Also focusing on patient education, St. Joseph Hospital teaches patients about their symptoms and conditions and incorporates a variety of therapeutic modalities into the plan of care, including both individual and group therapy. By providing thorough discharge planning, the hospital aims to prepare patients for a successful transition to their homes or to outpatient programs.

Understanding Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder
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A reserve deputy with the Orange County Sheriff Department, Dr. Jorge Galindo provides counseling services through his private practice in California alongside his wife, Miriam Galindo, Psy.D. While completing his doctoral internship at the distinguished St. Joseph Hospital, Dr. Jorge Galindo received specialized training in bipolar spectrum disorders.

Bipolar disorder, known for its extreme mood swings with episodes of mania and depression, actually encompasses a spectrum of disorders, including bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymia.

Distinguished mainly by its extreme periods of mania, bipolar I disorder usually includes periods of depression as well. Bipolar II, by contrast, has much lower manic periods, referred to as hypomanias, and more extended depressive episodes, often leading to misdiagnosis as major depression. Cyclothymia refers to a less severe form of the disorder, with alternating periods of hypomania and depression.

Another form of bipolar spectrum disorder known as rapid-cycling includes at least four manic and depressive episodes within a year’s time. The validity of its inclusion remains a matter of debate in psychology.

A Brief Introduction to Bipolar Spectrum Disorder

Bipolar Spectrum Disorder
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Dr. Jorge Galindo has more than 20 years of experience as a licensed marriage, family, and child therapist in the Irvine, California, area. Over the course of his career in therapy, Dr. Jorge Galindo has supported individuals who experience a variety of mental health issues, including trauma and bipolar spectrum disorder.

Bipolar spectrum disorder is an umbrella term used to describe a series of related mental health disorders, most notably bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and cyclothymic disorder. While all three disorders are characterized by symptoms of both depression and mania, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) clearly distinguishes each one from the others.

Bipolar I disorder involves frequent manic and depressive episodes that occur simultaneously. Individuals living with bipolar I may or may not experience psychotic episodes as the result of their persistent manic depressive state.

The manic depressive symptoms of bipolar II disorder, meanwhile, are less likely to effect a person’s day-to-day activities, not only because they are comparatively less severe than those of bipolar I, but also because instances of mania and depression interchange rather than overlap. Furthermore, individuals dealing with bipolar II do not face the risk of psychotic episodes.

Finally, cyclothymic disorder can be viewed as a lower level bipolar spectrum disorder. Individuals who suffer from cyclothymic disorder experience brief, intermittent periods of depression and hypomania, a lesser form of mania.

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders – A Broad Range of Symptoms

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders
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Licensed as a family and marriage therapist, Dr. Jorge Galindo has extensive experience working with adolescents and parents. Dr. Jorge Galindo pursued his doctoral internship at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. His work at the respected inpatient psychiatric hospital focused on assessing and treating bipolar (BP) spectrum disorders.

The BP spectrum model defines a variety of bipolar conditions, including cyclothymia and bipolar I. Patients with the latter condition have suffered from manic episodes at least once in their lives. They have also had episodes of depression that may have run the gamut from extremely severe to mild.

Those who are diagnosed with bipolar II have experienced hypomania, a less intense form of mania, indicating that they maintain a certain level of control over their actions. Cyclothymia involves moods that “cycle” and are even less severe.

Even within bipolar I patients, symptoms vary widely in duration and intensity. Some experience ongoing symptoms, while others may find episodes of mania and depression separated by months or years. For this reason, an individualized diagnosis by an experienced practitioner is required to receive proper care for bipolar spectrum disorders.