The Madman is back in the building

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/o...l-health-.html

New York Times piece about bipolar versus employment.

Thanks for the post. It kind of strikes too close to home for me. I was a HS teacher; I had a few breaks before being forced to apply for SSDI. Your own doubts dovetail with the doubts you imagine others must have about you. I especially liked the part that stated prisons have become de facto mental hospitals. Since they closed most state hospitals in the 70's & 80's (& they were no piece of cake) incarceration has become the solution for those who don't have the means to hire competent legal assistance. That's the sad part of this article. Working for Legal Aid, he could have related to those he was representing. He was, however, too broken by his hospitalization & subsequent battles with bipolar disorder. This disease sucks.

Thanks for sharing this article.

Quite heart-warming re: how the Love and support of just one person helped him through.


WC

These stories make me realize how lucky I am (compared to how it could be) to be on the milder end of the BP spectrum. I have been at the same job over 20 years. People there know I have a Jekyll and Hyde thing going and a couple know why (one of them is in HR). I am usually soft spoken and a little glum. Sometimes I am a bit more mopey and my door will be closed a lot. Sometimes I will be an upbeat dynamo that thinks a little too highly of himself. Sometimes I will be a high strung irritable crank who thinks little of anyone else. I have some delusions and paranoia from time to time but I know to keep them to myself; others will not understand my purpose or powers. I had one major depressive incident that resulted in a demotion but not dismissal and I have been pulled aside for hypomanic behavior in meetings a few times. I left my previous job mostly because of a depressive incident, but I left by my choice. That's the total impact of BP on my career. It could be a lot worse.

As he said he is fortunate to have a steadfast and unfailing support in his life. But still he lost his career to BP. The stress did him in. What would have happened if the forced hospitalizations had been gentle and less traumatic. Would then he have had the PTSD of claustrophobic fear prying on him? Hospitals need to learn to treat psychosis with out jumping on people.

I agree Nammu.

This story was very sad but also hopefully........I'm so glad this young man had Bird in his life! I related to so much of the story........I feel such shame for my mania. I feel like everyone knows about it and the rumors of what happened are even worse than what actually happened. I fear every person I meet knows and it kills me. All that I am and the good person I've been means nothing to many.....I'm reduced to what I was when I was sick. But there is always hope....this man found his niche in writing and I'm very happy for him.

Thanks for the article.