More Bipolar and Psychiatric Myths

i have lived on and off bipolar meds. on is by far better for me as i am bipolar 1.

Hi Anniem,
With all due respect, people who take medication have just as many pressures. They have pressures all around them telling them _not_ to take the drugs, _not_ to see doctors, how to handle the side effects, what they're doing wrong and so on.
Making the choice to come off meds is not trivial, but nor is staying on them. But trivial or not, it is ultimately a choice.
- Natasha

When I was originally diagnosed, I was told that medication was now a life time necessity. I even had one doctor cut me loose after I said I was going off the meds. From doctor to doctor, state to state, I was told in no uncertain terms that medication was an unavoidable lifetime fact for me. But then I had to go off one med b/c it turned my feet black, another b/c I developed a life threatening rash, another that left me with debilitating arthritis and ultimately, after gaining over 40 lbs., losing quite a bit of my hair and teeth, not remembering the simplest of tasks, like how to turn on the lights on the dashboard of my car (yes, all attributed to specific meds) and a tumor on my liver I had had enough. I confess, I still take the occasional tranquilizer and sleeping pill, but all in all I'm done. Have I gotten reactions of panic from those in my life? Yup. Does it feel like I have to justify myself? Yup. Is there social, familial, medical and even legal pressure to continue doping myself up? Absolutely. Have I had to swim upstream against the current? Every day. So please, don't minimize all these realities when one is "deciding" to "choose" to take meds.

"As someone living in NY, where it originated, I know for a fact that you do not need to be an immediate danger to yourself to become eligible for AOT and other outpatient court orders. " Should, obviously be "danger to yourself or others".
"No two people diagnosed with mental illness area like." That should also, quite obviously be, "are a like".

Natasha,
I agree with most of this post. Just one point on AOT, or Assisted Outpatient Treatment. As someone living in NY, where it originated, I know for a fact that you do not need to be an immediate danger to yourself to become eligible for AOT and other outpatient court orders. Though the law (at least, in this state) does lists some requirements a person must meet - such as failing to take medication, and then becoming hospitalized and/or incarcerated numerous times (though not necessarily for violence) - most of the times, these are put to be open to interpretation and the only thing that is really needed for the courts to force someone to be medicated or receive ECT, is a family filing a report and a doctor making the recommendation. In some cases, the people put under this law are not even having major impairments in functioning (so "grave disability" does not fit here, either). It happens all the time. Of course, one could debate if the law is positive or negative; but, the bottom line is, yes, you can be medicated and receive ECT without being a danger to yourself or others in many states. I respect you as an author and person, and quite like your blog; however, I am going to call you out wrong on this one.
As I said, though, I agree with most of this. Psychiatric illness is a terribly painful thing to experience and, in many cases, it can be like living in a horror flick every day of your life. By the time I tried my first mood stabilizer and (atypical) antipsychotic, I was to the point that I couldn't even function, was engrossed in a delusional world and had a pretty detailed plan to kill myself. The horror and psychological torture that often go along with that are...indescribable, really. I truly do believe you have to live it to fully grasp just how painful it can be. The medication - and an amazing psychiatrist - saved my life, and I have no doubts that I would be dead without them. I know that may seem blunt to some; but it's true.
Unfortunately/fortunately, the medication did become worse than the Bipolar - or Schizoaffective Disorder, depending on which doctor you ask - and I had to taper off them. They had led me to develop a heart blockage (luckily, it's not severe, and will likely heal), arrhythmia, and severe neurological side effects. Physically, I was in such bad shape. It really was not an option anymore. I've been off them since January and, surprisingly, I don't regret doing it. Yes, I have had major mood episodes and psychotic symptoms since then; but learning to cope and keep my functioning normal has been a challenging, yet worthwhile, experience. I never would have realized how physically and emotionally sedated I was if I had stayed on them. I do, however, take True Hope's Empowerplus as-needed (it works quite well, and quite fast, for me).
I don't speak that as dogma, however. As I said, the pain associated with mental illness is severe. We all need to find our own ways, personal to us, to survive this storm. If that means medication, then please do use it. Be careful, of course - as I learned, those more severe side effects can sneak up fast; but, if it helps and you need it for stability, please, please do what you need to do. No two people diagnosed with mental illness area like. That needs to be respected, above all else.
Much Love;
Erika

I truly believe that someone who has not experienced mental illness or been very close to someone who does cannot understand it. There is nothing in their experience that they can relate it to. Until they stop and watch quietly and listen closely, they have no paradigm in which to fit the experience and will only relate from their own paradigm. I don't fault people for reflexively doing this--it's only natural. But I do fault people for not purposefully slowing down to humbly listen to an experience that is outside of their own necessarily limited mental construct.

MMC,
Regarding your second comment, this isn't about negating any one person's experience. There is no way that I can speak about every person's experience. Everyone is unique. Talking about the majority doesn't invalidate the minority.
And, particularly in the case of a person who is determined to be a danger to themselves or others, their situation is unique. I know of two individuals and both of those people have very different situations. And in both of those situations, they now appear in the group that chooses to take their meds.
- Natasha

Hi MMC,
My point is that we are not victims of doctors or meds. Every one of us chooses to take the medication every day. We choose this because we choose to get better. We choose to get treatment.
That's empowerment. I'd say that's helpful.
And, specifically, it combats the meme that we are somehow being "forced" to do these things in some sinister way.
- Natasha

I guess my point is if someone tells you that their *personal* experience is that they're being forced to be on meds, then you seem to be negating their experience without knowing their circumstances, just dismissing them as a dangerous minority. Not very empowering. If you want to address the naysayers a better myth to knock down is something more general like "Most people with mental illnesses are forced to be on meds" which is decidedly not true.

Not sure who you're gearing this article towards--if people are being forced to take meds because they're in the hospital or in ACT or required to for conditions of school, etc you telling them they're not being forced isn't exactly accurate. And if the doctor is telling them that they do need to be on meds indefinitely then it doesn't seem like it's helping to say they don't have to...

It is the nature and phenomenology of mental illness and bipolar disorder as well that complicate the issue of this pathological humane entities. Indeed, all mental disorder result from disturbances in our brain as organic lower part of psychological life. Neuroscience research has confirmed this acknowledgement for mostly of psychiatric entities, as for example bipolar disorder. Moreover, the past history of our points of view toward patients with mental difficulties might to survive many myths and misunderstanding about mentally ill people as well as psychiatric disorder. By me, Your notes on bipolar disease, Ms Tracy, didn't make any exception. In this direction, the main goal of successful treatment is to be informed every psychiatric client that their biopsychosocial daily hardness, in fact presents the disorder of brain, as sophisticated part of our body. These pathological alterations of brain have great impact of our psycho-physic state, and damage our global functionality. If this observation doesn't perceive right, then we should to deal still with the same myths on mental disorders. The consequences go without saying will be irresistible for psychiatric patients, whereas it would to continue the torment of families with mentally ill member. Unfortunalety!

Hi Meredith,
Thank-you Meredith; you are, as ever, very kind.
- Natasha

Hi Mike,
That's me. Flammable.
- Natasha

It is so great, your strength, your persistence. Thank you for taking on the hard topics as you are addressing the naysayers (Scientology and the like). Kudos to you!

~N - Once again you are the candle that lights the darkness.

Hi Andi,
As I mentioned in point number one, if you're a danger to yourself or others then yes, you may have to be treated without your consent.
This isn't about crime it's about protection. Some people certainly disagree with this approach, but 99% of people with a mental illness are never forced to undergo treatment.
I assure you, I am quite educated in such matters.
- Natasha

Hi Eric,
People who haven't experienced a true "high" or "low" don't really get the difference and it's a tough thing to try and explain.
I'm glad your treatment plan is working for you. Thanks for the comment.
- Natasha

Here's a newsflash for you...Some people ARE forced while living in their own homes to take psychiatric drugs, and yes...they do sometimes send people to the home to administer the drugs. It's called AOT in the United States. People get court-ordered to take the drugs, and they are monitored in the community, and no, they need not have committed a crime. Those who refuse to take the ordered drugs can be mental-hygiene arrested and committed indefinitely to a psychiatric facility for no other reason than refusing to take the ordered drugs. Once in the psych facility, they will be forcibly drugged again. There are also community orders for forced ECT happening frequently in the United States, even despite the person's advance directives. The sheriff will come to your home and haul you off for the ECT, and resisting means you're breaking the law by violating the orders of the court. A doctor can make this happen. Before going on about these things, you may wish to educate yourself about what is really being done to people against their will, even people living out in their own communities. These laws have spread to 44 states at this point.

Hi Natasha:
I enjoyed your article and can really relate to Myth #10. For me, when I first explained my diagnosis to family members, some of them said that very same thing to me, "Life is full of highs and lows, are you sure you have Bipolar?"
Cycling from mania to deep depression is not life's highs and lows, let me tell you. Or having daily suicidal thoughts and planning how you are going to end your life is also not life's highs and lows.
Since being correctly diagnosed and following a strict treatment plan with my healthcare team, I have never felt better. That doesn't mean I don't have my good and bad days. The peaks and valleys are less intense and more manageable.
Cheers,
Eric