Thank you for sharing your stories. I think I know what I'm going to do. After all the research I have done, I realize that the justice system doesn't seem to give a ***** about mental illness..unless of course you can't help with your own defense. Unfortunately, the mania doesn't last forever so we will eventually be found competent. I live in a decently small city, so I think my only shot at walking away clean from this is by trying the case in the media before it ever gets to trial. I'm sure that a single mother of 2 that is a dean's list student and never knew she was bipolar until this incident would get a lot of sympathy with the public. I think I need to speak out about bipolar and tell my story to anyone that will listen. If I can show the prosecutor how much sympathy I will get, he might start to believe that he wouldn't be able to convince an entire jury to convict me. Not only do I want to get myself out of this (obviously) but I want people to be aware of the injustice of it all. I mean, I continuously told them that I had been going to the dr because there was something really wrong with me, I wasn't high on drugs and yet not ONE person believed me. I have no record, have a 3.8 GPA in college, raise 2 beautiful kids alone...and I was treated like a common criminal. I now know that it happens way too often to us and I think it's time someone does something about it..or at least tries to.