Trapped

When a person is diagnosed with any mental illness they may experience feeling a lot of shame. The public seems to have a lot of negative thoughts associated with people that have any form of mental illness. What people don’t understand is that it is not something anyone chooses to have or enjoys dealing with anymore than a person diagnosed with cancer. Also, just because they have the illness does NOT mean that everything they say and do that offends you can be attributed to their “disease.” Although having a mental illness is not a death sentence, it is something that doesn’t go away. They have to deal with it and the ramifications of it every single day. The best thing you can do is be supportive and remember that it is not always “them” you are dealing with daily.

So let’s talk specifically about Bipolar Disorder. What exactly is it?

Bipolar disorder means that a person will have extreme mood swings in which they go from very high and energized (manic) to very low, unmotivated and depressed. The high periods can last from a few days to a month or more and the low periods usually last much longer. The low periods can last from several weeks to even several months. About 1 in every 50 people in the United States has bipolar disorder.

What are the symptoms?

During a manic phase the person may be feeling overly happy or excited OR they may be overly irrirable or angry. They can so things that are very impulsive during this time like drive recklessly or spend a great deal of money unwisely. They may also experience symptoms of depression other times which can include feeling very sad, down, irritable or anxious, losing interest in people or things, sleeping to much, having little or no appetite, trouble concentrating or making decisions, feeling fatigued or low in energy, moving or talking slowly, feeling very bad or guilty about themselves or contemplating suicide (or actually carrying out suicide attempts.

It is very important that if you have a loved one that suffers from bipolar disorder that you learn to recognize their “triggers.” Once you understand that you can avoid those places, things, or activities that can bring on a episode. Try to remember that it is not your fault when/if they snap or yell at you or even say thing you know they don’t mean. Reading many blogs and comments from those with bipolar have a similar theme with failed relationships. Either they avoid them altogether in hopes to not hurt anyone, or they experience many failed relationships because it is hard to find a partner that can deal with their mood swings. People with bipolar long for “normal” relationships that won’t be disrupted by their mood disorder.

What causes bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorders means that a person has dysregulations in the emotional regulation “circuitry” of the brain, especially the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. It’s possible that the imbalances are inherited from blood relatives. Amny people that abuse drugs and alcohol sometimes are people that are trying to self medicate their bipolar disorder. A significant portion of the homeless population also suffers from some form of mental illness.

Treatment?

Treatment will most likely involve mood stabilizing medications such as lithium, Depakote, Lamictal, etc and be in conjunction with taking an antidepressant as well as possible anti anxiety medications. Therapy is also very useful. Many people have trouble taking medications because it makes them feel very zoned out or even kind of blah. I know that when I took medication (I am diagonsed with a less severe form, Bipolar 2) I felt like a zombie and all my creativity was washed away. I guess for some people they choose between crazy or boring. LOL.

Bottomline?

Be supportive of your neighbor, friend, girlfriend/boyfriend, husband/wife, or parent/child with bipolar disorder. They need as much support and patience as you can afford to give. Remember, we are all One, just different branches from the same tree. Don’t give up on your loved ones.

FAMOUS/CREATIVE PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

Russell Brand, actor/comedian
Kurt Cobain, musician
Patricia Cornwell, American crime writer
DMX, rapper
Mel Gibson, actor and director
Macy Gray, musician and actor
Linda Hamilton, actress
Ernest Hemingway, writer
Demi Lovato, American actress, singer
Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
Sinéad O’Connor, musician
Ozzy Osbourne, singer
Edgar Allan Poe, poet and writer
Jackson Pollock, American artist
Axl Rose, lead singer and frontman best known for Guns N’ Roses
Nina Simone, American singer
Britney Spears, singer
Jean-Claude Van Damme, actor
Vincent Van Gogh, artist
Pete Wentz, musician
Delonte West, American basketball player
Amy Winehouse, musician
Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress

Hello beautiful souls! I had the honor of being chosen as one of the advocates to film a PSA fighting against homelessness here in Miami. James Jones of the Miami Heat, his beautiful wife Destiny and myself all filmed this PSA with Thom of the M Network in the hopes to raise awareness to a cause that some people seem to just ignore.

HOMELESSNESS IS A SYMPTOM OF A BIGGER PROBLEM

Everyone knows that I am a huge advocate for the mentally ill. It is estimated that about 25% of the homeless population suffers from some form of mental illness while many mentally ill also use drugs/alcohol as a means to self medicate. The Florida Senate has proposed to cut the entire 204 million dollars in adult mental health funding/ substance abuse funding from Florida’s budget.

What does this mean?

Oh, it means a lot. Homelessness is a SYMPTOM of a bigger issue. If we cut the very lifeline of people’s mental stability what else are we risking? This may prevent people from job stability. No job= no money. No money equals more stress. More stress can lead to domestic abuse, child abuse, drug abuse, etc. These people are then faced with losing their homes AND their freedom! Were you aware that approximately 20% of the inmates in jail are mentally ill? Maybe with a little forward thinking and compassion we could have prevented this! It costs roughly $50,000 for the govt to feed, clothe and house an inmate per year. What do we do? Build more jails of course. As much as it costs to house inmates you better believe that private corporations are making a KILLING off of prison labor (whole different blog post…)

Florida we ‘gots’ to do better. We rank 49th in state spending on the mentally ill and 43rd in number of homeless children. Coincidence? I think not. Our education system is lacking down here in Florida as well. Any city, state or country that cuts back on educating it’s youth will reap the not so wonderful, very scary rewards in the future.

So what can you do?

Maybe you think that it is helpful to give your spare change to panhandlers in the street? I used to. Admit it! Some of the signs they hold up pull at your heart strings! Out of guilt and sympathy it was estimated that people in Miami gave about 40 million dollars to pandhandlers last year alone! WOW! Only one problem. Most (80%) panhandlers aren’t homeless and most homeless don’t beg. o_O

I know this may be shocking to you because it was to me too! The reason you see the 700+ people in the streets at night is that there isn’t enough room in the shelters! Wouldn’t that $40 million given to panhandlers have solved the space in shelters issue and even found some permanent housing solutions for some families? Yep.

I introduce you to the Homeless Trust. This group donates 100% of the donations in a concerted effort to end homelessness. On December 8th (Homeless Awareness Day) we are asking you to take to Biscayne Blvd…all the way from University of Miami to Aventura. Bring your cardboard sign and your loud voice! Let’s get people to be UNIFIED. Give to the HOMELESS TRUST!

Check this video out:
Homeless Trust