We talk about the day the music died, yesterday will go down in history as the day that comedy died.
Robin Williams cannot be replaced. He was a comic genius.
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
Mr. Williams was a perfect example of the notion, 'the higher the highs, the lower the lows'. His manic performances are legendary, yet he often talked about the crushing lows. In an interview in 2006 he stated that he had never been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or Clinical Depression. He stated that his mania was an act, but that the depression was real.
For those of us who have a loved one who struggles with the depression that accompanies Bipolar Disorder, losing Robin Williams to depression induced suicide is a wake up call to increase our vigilance......
and to talk about mental illness!
When will the stigma go away? How many lives have to be lost in this way before we, as a society, lift the veil, step out from behind the curtain and actually begin dealing with this illness in appropriate ways?
I'm a bit of a hypocrite in this because, here I am writing a blog about parenting a Bipolar Son anonymously. I do this to protect my son's privacy because he has yet to fully embrace his diagnosis; he is a prisoner of the stigma.
Mr. Williams gave the world so much, but maybe in the end he'll leave behind a legacy of not just his amazing talent, but also the beginnings of a movement to de-stigmatize mental illness.
In his honor, educate yourselves about mental illness so that you can offer support for the people in your life who suffer from it. And trust me, there is someone in your life who is suffering from mental illness, whether you recognize it or not.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
A Very Bright Young Man
As I said in my post four months ago, Josh has been struggling. Thankfully his mood swings have been fairly mild, but they do make his life more difficult than it needs to be.
He has slowly arrived at a better place, and all of it was through his own desire to get there.
He stopped drinking, etc. because he's wise enough to know that it only creates more issues.
He went shopping for a new psychiatrist, because his old doctor isn't covered under his new health insurance.
The process took a while, and his heart wasn't really it, but his head knew that he needed to stick with it and get some help.
He seems to like his new doctor, who put him on an anti-convulsive med (which has some pretty scary side effects). So far he's doing OK on the med, but it will take another week or so to see improvements in his mood.
He met for the first time this week with a new therapist who works under his psychiatrist. "She's a little bit older than you I think, and I really liked her."
"Well, if she's my age it means she probably has amassed lots of wisdom she can share with you."
I'm so proud of Josh for getting here on his own. Yes, we've had many discussions about his moods, and yes, I've encouraged him and offered support, but he picked up the ball and carried it.
I think that's key with all this Bipolar stuff. They have to find their way, and we're left to stand by and wring our hands. We want to rescue them, but they really have to save themselves.
He has slowly arrived at a better place, and all of it was through his own desire to get there.
He stopped drinking, etc. because he's wise enough to know that it only creates more issues.
He went shopping for a new psychiatrist, because his old doctor isn't covered under his new health insurance.
The process took a while, and his heart wasn't really it, but his head knew that he needed to stick with it and get some help.
He seems to like his new doctor, who put him on an anti-convulsive med (which has some pretty scary side effects). So far he's doing OK on the med, but it will take another week or so to see improvements in his mood.
He met for the first time this week with a new therapist who works under his psychiatrist. "She's a little bit older than you I think, and I really liked her."
"Well, if she's my age it means she probably has amassed lots of wisdom she can share with you."
I'm so proud of Josh for getting here on his own. Yes, we've had many discussions about his moods, and yes, I've encouraged him and offered support, but he picked up the ball and carried it.
I think that's key with all this Bipolar stuff. They have to find their way, and we're left to stand by and wring our hands. We want to rescue them, but they really have to save themselves.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Almost Four Years
Josh was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in April 2010. That seems like a lifetime ago, and yet, those first two years are as fresh in my memory as if they happened last week.
In spite of the fact that I haven't posted anything here for months and months, this blog continues to get a massive number of hits each month. That reality saddens me because it means that there are a large number of people who are effected by Bipolar in some way.
Josh remains off meds, but I continue to see glimpses of Bipolar working its way through his life. He has dealt with several pretty stressful life events, and at those times he gets a bit 'wobbly'; he loses his temper easily and reacts in ways that are out of character for him and over the top considering the event that set him off.
I believe Josh self medicates with alcohol and recently he told me that he had been using inhalants (purchased legally at a head shop). Of course, I was.......appalled, worried, disappointed. He had stopped using the inhalants but he said to me, "It's a decision I have to make anew every single day. It's not easy Mom." As is true for most people who struggle with mental illness (or addictions), the goal for Josh is to "feel better or cope better".
Clearly his coping skills are not what they should be, but all of this is out of my hands. Please don't read that as..."I wash my hands of the whole mess." It's just that all I can do is monitor, advise and pray a lot. I do all three. Josh refuses to see a therapist to help in learning better coping skills, he continues to refuse medications and he continues to say that he doesn't have Bipolar.
I read a book this weekend, "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff. It's the story of his families experience as his son, Nic, struggles through Meth addiction. It's a sad, hard book to read but much of it resonated with me. My older son has struggled with addiction and as most parents of Bipolar children know, often addiction and Bipolar go hand in hand. What some of my readers might find helpful about the book is the process that David Sheff goes through in finding that delicate fine line between worry and (relative) peace.
You worry about your child, endlessly, and yet, you cannot stop living. You don't know how much to do, or even what to do. You can't sleep, can't eat, often can't function.
Eventually you realize that you also can't live that way and you find that the Serenity Prayer is the ONE thing you can do, the ONE life line that is always readily available to you, and if you're smart, you'll use it and own it and be one with it.
"Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference"
There is nothing more than that. It says it all.
To live with the specter of drug addiction or mental illness in our children's lives, the Serenity Prayer becomes our saving Grace. Available to everyone and totally free.
It's easy for me to walk that fine line while Josh is (mostly) healthy. If he ever cycles again, I hope that I'll come back to this blog and read these posts that I've written during the easier times and find the help I'll need during the bad times.
Your comments that tell of your own personal struggles continue to sadden me, and yet, I'm always thankful that some of you find hope in Josh's story. I pray that you all can find that fine line and learn to walk it.
In spite of the fact that I haven't posted anything here for months and months, this blog continues to get a massive number of hits each month. That reality saddens me because it means that there are a large number of people who are effected by Bipolar in some way.
Josh remains off meds, but I continue to see glimpses of Bipolar working its way through his life. He has dealt with several pretty stressful life events, and at those times he gets a bit 'wobbly'; he loses his temper easily and reacts in ways that are out of character for him and over the top considering the event that set him off.
I believe Josh self medicates with alcohol and recently he told me that he had been using inhalants (purchased legally at a head shop). Of course, I was.......appalled, worried, disappointed. He had stopped using the inhalants but he said to me, "It's a decision I have to make anew every single day. It's not easy Mom." As is true for most people who struggle with mental illness (or addictions), the goal for Josh is to "feel better or cope better".
Clearly his coping skills are not what they should be, but all of this is out of my hands. Please don't read that as..."I wash my hands of the whole mess." It's just that all I can do is monitor, advise and pray a lot. I do all three. Josh refuses to see a therapist to help in learning better coping skills, he continues to refuse medications and he continues to say that he doesn't have Bipolar.
I read a book this weekend, "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff. It's the story of his families experience as his son, Nic, struggles through Meth addiction. It's a sad, hard book to read but much of it resonated with me. My older son has struggled with addiction and as most parents of Bipolar children know, often addiction and Bipolar go hand in hand. What some of my readers might find helpful about the book is the process that David Sheff goes through in finding that delicate fine line between worry and (relative) peace.
You worry about your child, endlessly, and yet, you cannot stop living. You don't know how much to do, or even what to do. You can't sleep, can't eat, often can't function.
Eventually you realize that you also can't live that way and you find that the Serenity Prayer is the ONE thing you can do, the ONE life line that is always readily available to you, and if you're smart, you'll use it and own it and be one with it.
"Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference"
There is nothing more than that. It says it all.
To live with the specter of drug addiction or mental illness in our children's lives, the Serenity Prayer becomes our saving Grace. Available to everyone and totally free.
It's easy for me to walk that fine line while Josh is (mostly) healthy. If he ever cycles again, I hope that I'll come back to this blog and read these posts that I've written during the easier times and find the help I'll need during the bad times.
Your comments that tell of your own personal struggles continue to sadden me, and yet, I'm always thankful that some of you find hope in Josh's story. I pray that you all can find that fine line and learn to walk it.
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