The other day a man was shot and killed in Miami for claiming to have a bomb in his backpack. I sat and watched Fox News cover the story and was soon smacked in the face with the declaration that of course he snapped...he was quote, "" a "nutcase" suffering from Bipolar disorder."" Not a man suffering from a mental condition but they HAVE to identify that Bipolar was the reason for his actions. We take a step forward in educating and minimizing the stigma attached to the disorder and then pushed back 1000 by sensationalized reporting. They even had commentary that WE should be identified, like a big scarlet letter tattooed on our forehead that we "suffer" from Bipolarism. The next thing I knew, the "horrors" of bipolarism was plastered all over the news and talk shows...Oprah being one that did an expos'e on manic depression and murderers. Watch out people, a bipolar could be next to you and on the verge of "snapping." I was mortified and was tempted to send a letter to these programs but knew I would be considered another "frenetic bipolar freak." I was glad that I wasn't the only freak that felt this way:

ShellyeD post as quoted from About.com:

...it just infuriates me that when there is a crime such as the man at the Miami airport who was killed for reporting he had a bomb in his backpack, it is blamed, RIGHT AWAY, on being "bipolar". As if that sums it all up. People just accept that as an excuse, and there is no other possible reason for his action. Has anyone investigated his background yet? "Oh, yeah, he was bipolar and off his meds, no wonder". I'm sorry, but I have yet to run down the aisle of a passenger plane screaming I have a bomb. I have yet to murder someone in cold blood, rob a bank, molest a child, kill my family, or any of these horrendous actions that are blamed as "he/she had bipolar disorder". The last thing I heard was in Dallas, JUST LAST WEEK, where I live, a man shot a police officer in the face, and it was said that the man you guessed it, had "bipolar disorder" (also called manic depressive illness, the news always says) matter of factly. And that explained the whole ordeal completely. No one ever questioned any other motive or intention except for his own excuse that didn't include him being bipolar. Not that anyone cared.

Can't people just have problems outside of being bipolar? By the media's distortion, the whole prison population must be filled with bipolars who need daily medication, because God knows, they are the ones who commit heinous crimes. These people who do evil deeds are not always doing them because they are BIPOLAR, and that does not just explain away their actions.

Yes, maybe the man in Miami was off his meds, was bipolar, and it contributed to his actions. But come on. This repeated blaming of the bipolar community has to stop somewhere when it comes to heinous crimes.

There are many law abiding, contributing, productive bipolars, yet I don't dare tell my employer because of the stigma. Maybe if every rapist and cop killer wasn't "explained away" as "being bipolar and off their meds" would stop, I could actually be honest for a change. I'm sure they would be shocked to know that I was bipolar and could "snap" at any minute. Definite grounds for discrimination, although no one would ever admit it.

It's getting to be a weekly thing these days it's so frequent, or is it just me? According to the news, I should be strapped down on a gurney by all four limbs in "Silence of the Lambs" style and not allowed human contact.

Not that I'm over-reacting or anything. :-) But why does this keep happening???

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The hearts of all NAMI (National
Alliance on Mental Illness) members go out to the family of Rigoberto Alpizar
and to the marshals involved in the shooting, who we know must be profoundly
affected by this tragedy.
We recognize that air marshals have very difficult jobs and sometimes have
to make split second, life and death decisions.
NAMI calls upon the Federal Air Marshall Service and all other law
enforcement agencies to take a close look at its training and education
protocols and, if currently lacking, adopt measures to prepare officers to
respond effectively to people with severe mental illness.
Law enforcement officers frequently come into contact with people who may
be acting erratically or irrationally due to severe mental illnesses or other
brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Many communities throughout the
United States, including Miami, have adopted Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
programs to better prepare officers to respond to these situations. These
programs work and save lives!
The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that: "The overall contribution of
mental disorders to the total level of violence in society is exceptionally
small." Acts of violence are exceptional. When they do occur, it is a sign
that something has gone terribly wrong.
It is important to examine all factors that may have contributed to the
tragedy. Treatment of mental illnesses is effective. Unfortunately, news
reports indicate that Mr. Alpizar may not have taken his medication, for
whatever reason.
Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disorder that causes extreme shifts in
mood, energy, and functioning. It affects 2.3 million adult Americans, which
is about 1.2 percent of the population, and can run in families. Bipolar
disorder is a chronic and generally life-long condition with recurring
episodes that often begin in adolescence or early adulthood, and occasionally
even in children.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of mania and depression that
can last from days to months. It can also lead to psychiatric episodes marked
by delusions or hallucinations.

*FACTS About Police Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program*

The Memphis Police Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program was established
in 1988 through a collaboration between the police, the Memphis Alliance for
the Mentally Ill, the University of Tennessee Medical School and the
University of Memphis. The CIT program has achieved remarkable success, in
large part because it has remained a true partnership between the police, the
mental health system, family members and consumers. Today, the CIT program
has been adopted in hundreds of communities across the country, including
Akron (OH), Albuquerque, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Kansas City,
Louisville, Montgomery (AL), Miami, Orlando, Portland (OR), San Jose, Seattle,
and many other communities.

*How does the CIT program work?*

In Memphis, the CIT program is comprised of volunteer officers from each
Uniform Patrol District. Officers are selected based on their temperaments,
background, and demonstrated interest in helping individuals who suffer from
mental illnesses. Officers selected to the program receive 40 hours of
specialized training under the instructional supervision of mental health
providers, family advocates and mental health consumer groups. They are
taught about severe mental illnesses and how to respond to people experiencing
psychiatric crises in ways that defuse rather than escalate these crises.
They are taught to understand that mental illness is not a crime but a
disease.
After completing the training, CIT officers are assigned to Uniform Patrol
Districts. In Memphis, CIT officers are available throughout the city to
respond to calls involving "mental disturbances" on a 24 hour a day, 7 day a
week basis. Police dispatchers also receive CIT training so that they are
able to ask appropriate questions and recognize when calls involve individuals
who are experiencing serious psychiatric symptoms.
The CIT program has achieved remarkable successes in linking people with
timely and effective mental health services. Arrest rates of people with
mental illnesses have been reduced in Memphis because police officers now have
an alternative to jailing people. A specialized psychiatric emergency room
has been established at the University of Tennessee Medical Center to respond
to people brought in by CIT officers. Known as the "Med", the psychiatric
emergency room is staffed by psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and others
with specialized training in the treatment of mental illnesses.
Staff at the Med respond immediately to individuals brought in by the
police, so that officers no longer have to wait with individuals for hours
until they receive services. Staff at the Med and at the University of
Tennessee Medical Center also try to link people with follow-up mental health
treatment and services so that the behaviors that precipitated the police
response don't recur.

*CIT Program Outcomes*

Data from the Memphis CIT program reveals that the program has produced a
number of positive outcomes, including:

* Sharply reduced arrest rates of people with mental illnesses;

* Significant reductions in injury rates to officers responding to "mental
disturbance" calls. (Presumably, the rates of injuries to people with
mental illnesses are also reduced, although this data is not yet
available);

* Dramatic decreases in the amount of time officers spend responding to
mental disturbance calls; and

* Very high rates of police officer satisfaction concerning the
disposition of cases involving people with mental illnesses who are in
crisis.

*Conclusion:*

Police officers have been forced to become front line respondents to
people with severe mental illness in crisis throughout the country. Too
often, confrontations between the police and people with mental illnesses
result in tragedies because police lack the knowledge and experience to
respond appropriately to people in psychiatric crisis. The evidence is clear
that the Memphis police CIT program has achieved remarkable success both in
reducing the inappropriate jailing of people with mental illnesses and in
increasing public and police officer safety. As the model with the strongest
evidence of success, NAMI believes that the CIT program should be adopted in communities throughout the United States.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-08-2005/0004230651&EDATE=

This sort of misery can be prevented with a Ulysses Contract. These cases are sad that way.

I heard some off the wall story about a bipolar on adderall once "psychotic rage" was the slang term used... sad

Wow my goodness Msam,

A. Was the Bipolar, an extreme case? And were they not on meds at all or missed for awhile?
B. How much Adderall did they have to take to my it a psycotic rage?

I am kinda being smart here...Not to you Msam, cause I love ya dearly...

Just ticks me off. Cause hey I take Adderall and I'm Bipolar? Geez I hope when someone cuts me off with thier cart in the grocery store , I don't go running to the top of the nearest skyscraper and take out the next parade? I mean come on....

And this is why after years of living with a medical family.....it was so hard to swallow this dianoses...from this crap...and the other stuff above it. .....

. . . They even had commentary that WE should be identified, like a big scarlet letter tattooed on our forehead that we "suffer" from Bipolarism. The next thing I knew, the "horrors" of bipolarism was plastered all over the news and talk shows...Oprah being one that did an expos'e on manic depression and murderers. Maybe a tattoo on our arms. :faint: Easier to "round us all up!"

No one says anything about the bipolar spectrum. My biological father who had Bipolar I was hospitalized and nearly vegetative from his med cocktail when he was my age. I mean, a drooling mess. But he was not ever dangerous. Which is why I fought the dx for so long. But I have a BA and an MS degree, and I have always had a job and paid taxes.

Hope, Crazy Feet and Andi (and others) finally made me feel OK about my own Bipolar II diagnosis. I finally believed that I could still be and OK person even with a BP II diagnosis (which I got on Monday).

I think more bipolar II people end up hurting themselves. Like my brother who drank himself to death by the time he was 40. And suffer from horrible self esteem. (because we are very likely to be ADHD as well) And for me at least, I have had life long depression which did not respond to SSRI antidepressants.

If it weren't for this forum I am certain I would never be diagnosed in my lifetime. Who knows how many undx'd people out there live with this kind of depression, anxiety and fear.

The main reason I am "glad" to get this dx, is because I feel my daughter is somewhere on the bipolar II spectrum as well, and I will do anything to help her.

But I also don't talk to people outside of a couple very close friends about my dx. (With the exception of y'all, gentle readers!) Especially not my family, who labelled my brother an I as the "lazy losers" of the family. Since he died, I inherited the "black sheep" moniker as well.

Sounds like Oprah is more like her "good friend" Tom Cruise than we gave her credit for. :mad:

Maybe a tattoo on our arms. :faint: Easier to "round us all up!"

No one says anything about the bipolar spectrum. My biological father who had Bipolar I was hospitalized and nearly vegetative from his med cocktail when he was my age. I mean, a drooling mess. But he was not ever dangerous. Which is why I fought the dx for so long. But I have a BA and an MS degree, and I have always had a job and paid taxes.

Hope, Crazy Feet and Andi (and others) finally made me feel OK about my own Bipolar II diagnosis. I finally believed that I could still be and OK person even with a BP II diagnosis (which I got on Monday).

I think more bipolar II people end up hurting themselves. Like my brother who drank himself to death by the time he was 40. And suffer from horrible self esteem. (because we are very likely to be ADHD as well) And for me at least, I have had life long depression which did not respond to SSRI antidepressants.

If it weren't for this forum I am certain I would never be diagnosed in my lifetime. Who knows how many undx'd people out there live with this kind of depression, anxiety and fear.

The main reason I am "glad" to get this dx, is because I feel my daughter is somewhere on the bipolar II spectrum as well, and I will do anything to help her.

But I also don't talk to people outside of a couple very close friends about my dx. (With the exception of y'all, gentle readers!) Especially not my family, who labelled my brother an I as the "lazy losers" of the family. Since he died, I inherited the "black sheep" moniker as well.

Sounds like Oprah is more like her "good friend" Tom Cruise than we gave her credit for. :mad:
Hey Jeanie....Go post on the Rant Thread ! Maybe my question about how we can help ourselves is to write a nice letter of expectation of villification to the Oprah show...then we can gather up the the Healthy Successful Full Spectrum BPD's and hit the road to Chicago....

I'm on dexedrine which is supposedly "Worse" than adderall so I guess I should be restoring to normal rather than winding around like the tasmanian devil huh??.. I dumped the last two days of them out the other day... and I think the bipolars that are really highlighted are the ones with the "Bipolar I Disorder, Most recent episode Manic with psychotic features" when it comes to society. I know it's annoying to be considered wacked by most people when you say you have bipolar disorder.

Its beyond annoying, which is why I take every opportunity I get to shove that DX up people's noses. Bad enough I have to be known as "the crazy Yankee"...I'll let 'em talk. They can wonder why I never went postal and ask me about it if they really give a **** what goes on in my life. Otherwise they can just gossip until they pass out. Either way they really don't impact my life because that is something I define, not anybody else.

If you visibly exhibit ANY 'emotions', you're going to be 'assumed' as being Bipo, by those who value the non-exhibition of 'emotions'.

In my younger days..we used to call them ' emotionally repressed'. (0:

Just my opinion, on recent personal observations I've made.

Hey Jeanie....Go post on the Rant Thread ! Maybe my question about how we can help ourselves is to write a nice letter of expectation of villification to the Oprah show...then we can gather up the the Healthy Successful Full Spectrum BPD's and hit the road to Chicago....
I'm on the bus with ya, Hope! I've been afraid to post on your "rant" thread because I am too angry!!! I might break my computer.

I need more time to process these "news" stories, and my processing function is not working as well as usual due to my dx of a long list of "disorders" that I got Monday. I am not myself, and not totally rational at the moment.

I did call my younger brother (half-bro) and talk to him about my dx today, he has been northing but supportive, so that was nice. More later when I get a chance to compose myself. :faint: