Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law during a (hypo)manic episode?

I once got pulled over for driving 59 in a 35. I was passing people by driving on the wrong side of the road.

A cop was sitting nearby and caught me going 59 and passing someone.

I had to go to court to explain why my license shouldn't be suspended for 3 years. I also had a $1000 ticket.

Not as bad as some of you, I bet. I'm not too badass But that's why I want to hear your stories

[Moose72]

I was feeling sui. Called my sister and told her. My Pdoc called back. Sister called back while I was on the phone with Pdoc. I ignored her call. She called 911. Police showed up and questioned me searched my purse and out me in the cruiser. Eventually an ambulance showed up and took me to the psych ER. My sister asked if she could just take me home and they said no they'd already started the proceedings. No tickets.

I did just get out of a ticket earlier this week for going 52 in a 30. Angels were with me that day!

[Coconutzo]

I got arrested for a miniature crime spree once. I was running around all night smashing things with a bat and rearranging Christmas decorations in yards.

Another time, I punched a cab driver in the face.

Another time was a suicide attempt. It's confusing to me now because I was very drunk. I remember nothing, but my house got robbed on the same night. Apparently I missed it because I was drunk and trying to do away with myself. The cops told me that they couldn't do anything about the robbery but made me tell my parents about the attempt and left.

Another time I was wandering around in the desert on hallucinogens and found myself in a weird community. I knocked on someone's door and they called the cops. The police took my ID and I was shaking so badly. They said, "wow you are nervous. You should probably wander home" and that was it

I got detained for criminal trespassing. I was doing drugs on a playground at 3am. Luckily they didn't get me in trouble about the drugs part because I tossed my bag in the woods and told them I didn't have anything on me. That's the only time I got caught.

[Ocean Swimmer]

I had some intense experiences but luckily the law never involved.

[st0psign]

when I broke up w/ my gf from all of high school I went manic. got involved in an armed robbery. I thought it wasn't a bad idea because we robbed the guy for drugs (at gun point, all I did was drive). like what was he gonna do? call the cops and say these guys just stole my drugs? well he did and we all went down. I only got a years probation and a misdominer 1 charge on my record now, got reduced to theft by receiving. the other 2 guys with the guns went to the state pen for 4 years...

not too proud of that one.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Last dec 21 I was very suicidal and I think in mixed Episode. I'd been manic and paranoid and hallucinating. Went to online crisis chat for help. Refused to tell my grandma what was going on and the person stopped taking to me. Ten minutes later there was banging on our door and door bell ringing at 1am. State police had me come out and he asked me if I wanted to hurt myself and if I had weapons or been self harming. Asked if I e been in treatment anywhere. Then he called ambulance and they interview me and say I have to go get checked out and where do I want to go.

I argued and argued that I was fine and my therapist would be checking in with me a couple days later via phone. Somehow, I talked them out of making me go.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Last dec 21 I was very suicidal and I think in mixed Episode. I'd been manic and paranoid and hallucinating. Went to online crisis chat for help. Refused to tell my grandma what was going on and the person stopped taking to me. Ten minutes later there was banging on our door and door bell ringing at 1am. State police had me come out and he asked me if I wanted to hurt myself and if I had weapons or been self harming. Asked if I e been in treatment anywhere. Then he called ambulance and they interview me and say I have to go get checked out and where do I want to go.

I argued and argued that I was fine and my therapist would be checking in with me a couple days later via phone. Somehow, I talked them out of making me go.

Wow that you talked your way out of it!

[HALLIEBETH87]

Originally Posted by Moose72

Wow that you talked your way out of it!

Yeah I was amazed too. They called a dr and since I wasnt home alone and had a therapist I didn't have to. I almost spent last Christmas on a psych hold.

[Faltering]

I have a bad habit of shoplifting when manic. I get super confident and think I'll get away with it despite still being paranoid of everyone around me in the store. I never got caught thankfully. A criminal background would end my career.

[Nammu]

My first Sui attempt(a huge OD) a GF called cause she was worried about me, and I answered the phone without thinking. I was pretty messed up at that point but thought I reassured her that I was fine. Then there were cops and my GF pounding the door down. I assaulted the cops that were trying to put me in hand cuffs for a drive to the hospital. I was pissed that they were trying to save me. Nothing was filed against me tho.

I've been picked up numerous times in a dissociative state during the winter months for no being appropriately dressed for the weather. They always took me to the hospital where I'd "come to" later and be told where I was picked up. Have no idea how I appear to others when I was in that state but I'm grateful that they didn't take me to jail on suspicion of drugs.

Otherwise for the stuff I've done while manic I was lucky and never caught or I'd have a serious criminal record.

[wildflowerchild25]

Worst I've ever done is speeding. Got caught doing 91 in a 65 around this time last year. Thankfully I'm normally a good driver and I was very apologetic so the trooper let me go with a ticket for 79 in a 65. That was very nice of him because going 91 would have been a court appearance and a reckless driving ticket and points on my license.

[raspberrytorte]

I've had to go to court two times for SUI attempts. Once I was court ordered for breaking a three month hold (for sui attempt) and had police show up at my door to give me court papers. When I was 24 I got a DUI and had to go to court.

Upon reflection I've been court ordered a lot.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

I've had to go to court two times for SUI attempts. Once I was court ordered for breaking a three month hold (for sui attempt) and had police show up at my door to give me court papers. When I was 24 I got a DUI and had to go to court.

Upon reflection I've been court ordered a lot.

Court ordered for sui waaah?

[Wonderfalls]

I was very manic and I made a huge fuss back of a thrift store in unloading (I also managed to spend a whole lot of money, even in a thrift store, which couldn't have been easy, ). I thought they hadn't given me a table I had bought . None of the unloaders spoke English and they were completely confused. I was yelling and the owner came out and yelled at me and them for a while and then called the police.

The police put the handcuffs on me sideways, which is very painful and left bruises and then kicked me once I was in the car. (They never do that on TV police shows I always point out now.) They took me to their pen inside the station. Luckily for me the mean cop went in the back and I made friends with the nice cop. He called out to the cop in the back to ask what they should charge me with and I don't know what it was.

While I was in the hospital maybe a month later my husband called the police and the nice guy said he would drop charges if I came to court and brought my hospital papers. Unfortunately he wasn't there and I had to plead guilty. The judge said he would give me a three-month suspended sentence if I stayed on meds and didn't make any more trouble.(It was all more than embarrassing once I was sane again.) I still don't know what I was charged with.

In the county where I live there are ninety mostly tiny municipalities. And they mostly have their own usually inept police force. I'm just afraid that they never bothered to remove the charge from my record. If it ever matters. Maybe I would find out what the charge was then.

[BipolaRNurse]

I once spent four hours in jail for being "drunk and disorderly". I'd gotten myself thrown out of a bar for laying across some guy's lap and letting him ram his tongue down my throat, but for some reason (unknown to me) I refused to leave the premises. I chose instead to break beer bottles in the parking lot.

The cops who responded did NOT want to arrest me, but the barkeeper insisted I be removed from the property. They were very nice and didn't handcuff me, just put me in the back of the cruiser and drove me to the jail. I didn't recognize until years later that I was in a manic episode at the time (had no idea whatsoever that I was BP) and I was drinking to mask it.

Anyway, I went to court a week later and the charges against me were dropped, so I technically don't have a record.

[Apokolips]

Two unlawful possession of marijuana. They are basically like getting a jaywalking ticket here. That's about it.

[raspberrytorte]

Originally Posted by Moose72

Court ordered for sui waaah?

Yes. Where I live if you try to sui you get court ordered.

Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25

Worst I've ever done is speeding. Got caught doing 91 in a 65 around this time last year. Thankfully I'm normally a good driver and I was very apologetic so the trooper let me go with a ticket for 79 in a 65. That was very nice of him because going 91 would have been a court appearance and a reckless driving ticket and points on my license.

I wish the troopers were nice to me like that

Going to DMV court sucks! Although, admittedly, I deserved it... I was 17 at the time and my mom was PISSED.

The court room was kinda funny though. There was one girl who had her license suspended 3 times and she came in drunk slurring her words and making jokes.. Needless to say, she did not get out of a ticket and she did get her license suspended for 2 years. Best of all, she thought it was a prank!

[franz kafka]

I fought the law and the law won.

No actually I didn't, miraculously. I could have been pulled over a million times for reckless driving, but I got lucky. I'm sure I would have been hostile too. Thank you fate!

4 years ago my 15 year old son had what we believe to be a manic break. I've talked a bit about it on here but it's my son's business and I'm not going to elaborate again. We had to have him 51/50'd. I lost my mind and became very suicidal while having lots of energy. My husband called 911 for an ambulance to come take me. I tried running away, leaving the house, jumping out windows but my husband would "detain me". Instead of an ambulance, the police showed up. Because I had been trying to leave the house and my husband kept grabbing me from windows and other places, he had a scratch on his chest. The police put me in cuffs and the women cop argued with the male cop who kept saying he didn't agree. My husband begged then to take me to the hospital. If I would have told them my husband got the scratch because he was detaining me, he would have been hauled in for domestic violence too so I couldn't say anything. The female police officer put me in her car and said "don't you love your kids, what kind of mother wants to kill herself". I was DELUTIONAL and thought I was doing my kids a favor. This cops words were not helpful, they were harmful.

I was taken to the station, stripped down naked while all the male cops peeked over this small partition they put up to protect my privacy. What a joke. I was gawked at, made to pull my butt cheeks open while 20 people, mostly men gawked and giggled. They threw me in a rubber type room which very bright lights and FREEZING air blowing on you. It was a drunk tank and perhaps that is helpful for drunks but it was torture for me. I was hallucinating badly and so cold because I had no clothes....just this tiny sleeveless vest. I had to go to the bathroom in a dirty hole in the ground. I was on my period and they made me take out my tampon so I was bleeding everywhere. I was so cold and asked for a blanket and they screamed "we don't give blankets to people who threaten to kill them selves". I was being tortured for 18 hours when finally the therapist/doctor arrived. I told him what happened....he called my husband and got the story....I had been writing my PDOC for help before this all happened and this doc knew my PDOC. He said, she is to be released now. The lady who refused me the blanket got huffy and said "you're letting her go" and he firmly said "she shouldn't even be here" in a very angry tone. He stood by me and got me released super quick. I was tormented in so many ways that night. Police are not trained to help the mentally ill and are useless 90% of the time in these cases. I was going to sue. What they did to me is all on surveillance cameras. One lady who told me to strip and put my clothes in the corner almost billy clubbed me when I threw my clothes in the corner and they came within 12 inches of touching her. A really good reason to raise and start swinging a deadly weapon right?

When I am a bit better I plan to work on rights of the mentally ill in the prison and write a letter about my experience. I plan to fight and insist that ALL first responders be MUCH MORE educated on how to work with the mentally ill.

A few months after this happened to me an up and coming actress who just stared in a big movie with Meryl Streep had a mental health breakdown and the cops came after her. Because of the harassment she received from police in the past...she ran and ended up entering a wooded area, falling and breaking her neck and dying. Avoidable tragedy if the cops had done things correct with her the first time.

Not all cops are bad but many have HUGE power trips and need education to knock them out of it and teach them to protect and serve, rather than torment and control.

This is very hard for me to write.....it's been 4 years but I'm still terrified of police.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

4 years ago my 15 year old son had what we believe to be a manic break. I've talked a bit about it on here but it's my son's business and I'm not going to elaborate again. We had to have him 51/50'd. I lost my mind and became very suicidal while having lots of energy. My husband called 911 for an ambulance to come take me. I tried running away, leaving the house, jumping out windows but my husband would "detain me". Instead of an ambulance, the police showed up. Because I had been trying to leave the house and my husband kept grabbing me from windows and other places, he had a scratch on his chest. The police put me in cuffs and the women cop argued with the male cop who kept saying he didn't agree. My husband begged then to take me to the hospital. If I would have told them my husband got the scratch because he was detaining me, he would have been hauled in for domestic violence too so I couldn't say anything. The female police officer put me in her car and said "don't you love your kids, what kind of mother wants to kill herself". I was DELUTIONAL and thought I was doing my kids a favor. This cops words were not helpful, they were harmful.

I was taken to the station, stripped down naked while all the male cops peeked over this small partition they put up to protect my privacy. What a joke. I was gawked at, made to pull my butt cheeks open while 20 people, mostly men gawked and giggled. They threw me in a rubber type room which very bright lights and FREEZING air blowing on you. It was a drunk tank and perhaps that is helpful for drunks but it was torture for me. I was hallucinating badly and so cold because I had no clothes....just this tiny sleeveless vest. I had to go to the bathroom in a dirty hole in the ground. I was on my period and they made me take out my tampon so I was bleeding everywhere. I was so cold and asked for a blanket and they screamed "we don't give blankets to people who threaten to kill them selves". I was being tortured for 18 hours when finally the therapist/doctor arrived. I told him what happened....he called my husband and got the story....I had been writing my PDOC for help before this all happened and this doc knew my PDOC. He said, she is to be released now. The lady who refused me the blanket got huffy and said "you're letting her go" and he firmly said "she shouldn't even be here" in a very angry tone. He stood by me and got me released super quick. I was tormented in so many ways that night. Police are not trained to help the mentally ill and are useless 90% of the time in these cases. I was going to sue. What they did to me is all on surveillance cameras. One lady who told me to strip and put my clothes in the corner almost billy clubbed me when I threw my clothes in the corner and they came within 12 inches of touching her. A really good reason to raise and start swinging a deadly weapon right?

When I am a bit better I plan to work on rights of the mentally ill in the prison and write a letter about my experience. I plan to fight and insist that ALL first responders be MUCH MORE educated on how to work with the mentally ill.

A few months after this happened to me an up and coming actress who just stared in a big movie with Meryl Streep had a mental health breakdown and the cops came after her. Because of the harassment she received from police in the past...she ran and ended up entering a wooded area, falling and breaking her neck and dying. Avoidable tragedy if the cops had done things correct with her the first time.

Not all cops are bad but many have HUGE power trips and need education to knock them out of it and teach them to protect and serve, rather than torment and control.

This is very hard for me to write.....it's been 4 years but I'm still terrified of police.

Oh, wow -- so very sorry you went through this. and
It makes me both sad and angry you have had to endure this gross mistreatment/abuse.

Anyone feeling suicidal does not belong in police custody/jail.
I hope you have recourse, if you are interested in recourse.

You have a lot of insight and would make a good advocate for Human Rights.


WC

[st0psign]

then there was the time I used the word suicide in an email to a prof... he called campus police who called city police, 4 cops 2 cars show up at my house and tell me I'm going to the psych ward for an eval and I can sign myself in or they can sign me in. well since those were my options I opted to sing myself in. THE COCK SUCKERS STILL CUFFED ME!!! even though I was 100% compliant and calm. this is why I hate the police. when those six cops got shot in texas for no reason, I was a happy camper. I always get a smile when a member of law enforcement dies in the line of duty. **** EM!

I was in deep crisis for over 2 years pretty consistently. The actions of the police made it worse because in my mind "they were in on it". My husband made some calls to start the process and my best friend said she'd help my husband since I was just not well enough to do much other than cry or become paranoid over the experience. Now the statue of limitations has ran out and I don't think I have recourse. I plan to write a letter and let them know I expect a response. I want an apology for me and everyone else they have done this too. There were crosses written in blood and blood spatters on the wall of this room I was confined in. It was a torture chamber. I can only imagine the horrors these so called "peace" officers have been responsible for. I have animosity and resentment....not just for what happened to me but also what has gone on for people who were even more vulnerable than me. Who don't have family and husbands to speak for them when they can't speak for themselves. Police brutality of the mentally ill is a huge problem and it's time it stopped.

Thanks for your message WC.

[st0psign]

**** the police!!! just like NWA said.