Bipolar and its effects on Society

[Outlaw Yogi]

Assuming Bi-Polar is just a new term/description for, and so is the same as Manic Depresive ... apologies if incorrect ... well I try to be empathetic, but from a distance ... same with most schizophrenics and/or anyone suffering psychosis.
Not because I regard them as lesser beings or any other bigotry, but because I have limited patience and my repeated experience is they are problematic.

My mother was/is a hystrionic manic depressive. She's also a liar, thief and hypocritical cheat with a perverted sense of entitlement. I wound up in court 4 times for things that never happened ... all complaints were fabricated.
I did not speak to her for 11 years (1990 - 2001) ... then did the forgive and forget thing, but found her still making the same false allegations. So have refused contact for another 10 years (2001 - 2011) and keep the address of my property secret from all but 1 trusted family member, so that I never have to worry about her again. The last thing I said to her (Xmas 2001 @ Gold Coast time share unit) was "I don't want to know you" and have informed other family members I will not attend her funeral.
Y'see she can no longer cause problems/dramas for me, because as far as I'm concerned, she doesn't exist.

As for schizophrenics and like type psychotics, well I find them untrustworthy. Some are just down right sneaky, trying to run scams just like you'd expect from an amphetamine addict/speed junky, and others cry copper over things that are none of their phuking business. So I treat them like mushrooms.

Being a Post Traumatic Stress sufferer myself, I could forgive people for imagining I'd be more tolerant of others with mental illnesses, but they all too often incite my bad temper, so I proverbally cast them into the Leper pit.

[HIGHERBEAM]

The term bipolar was and is being used to sanitise the mental health problem and what it means in laymans terms as far as I can make out is bi-two,pole-pole,ar-apart.this means two poles are disconected in ones brain and it needs some form of treatment to reconnect these poles to help them live a life.Being a long sufferring parent of a bipolar son it is not easy.This condition can be genetic as my mother was a manic deppressive but was fine as long as she was taking medication.This disorder seems to have skipped a generation.The trouble with some bipolars is they self medicate with what ever they find easier,drugs and alcohol,which they end up in a ever increasing slippery slope.I say most try self harm to try to draw attention to their predicament but the general public just dont want to know and say he/she is just a crazy drunk etc.I can not have my son at home as I have numerous grandchildren coming and going.

[mantra]

Being a Post Traumatic Stress sufferer myself, I could forgive people for imagining I'd be more tolerant of others with mental illnesses, but they all too often incite my bad temper, so I proverbally cast them into the Leper pit.

I wonder sometimes how people survive life - especially when they've got a dysfunctional parent as in your case Yogi - not one that's just eccentric or a little neurotic, but outright psychotic. You are courageous telling your story and it makes me sad when I think of all the children who grow up so disadvantaged because one parent is so self indulgent with their illness. There is medication and help out there for those who choose to use it - so those who don't are just plain mean and selfish. When you bring a child into this world - a loving parent puts their life to one side so they can give the child as much nurturing as it needs until they become fully functioning adults.

If you are having health problems now - you need to find a sympathetic doctor and insist that you get the help you need.

As for schizophrenics and like type psychotics, well I find them untrustworthy. Some are just down right sneaky, trying to run scams just like you'd expect from an amphetamine addict/speed junky, and others cry copper over things that are none of their phuking business. So I treat them like mushrooms.

Fortunately I've rarely come across anyone personally who is schizo or psychotic, although there was a junkie in the family decades ago and that was nasty enough. There is nothing worse than a sneaky, lying, thieving, scam artist - they are a blight on society and regardless of what their "problems" are - I have zero sympathy for them.

[mellie]

Slightly off topic but I was being abused by a schizophrenic guy the other day and I got to wondering how come the "voices"never seem to tell them nice things and that they should encourage someone who happens to be walking by. Any ideas?

I don't wish to sound heartless, but have to ask, why is it that when people break the law, behave irresponsibly, (ie Rick Nixon) they suddenly have an excuse-all, mental illness?

"It wasn't my fault, the drugs and mental illness did it."

[mellie]

Yogi, a friend of ours, (recently divorced from a woman with a serious mental health issue, though is high functioning, holds down a powerful position at her work) recently faxed her ex-husbands business contacts to her ex-husbands opposition. Fortunately, the opposition is a good person and called him straight away and advised what the woman had done, then he shredded it.

Now the psycho ex-wife is poisoning his own mother against him, going around to her house having cups of tea, and his mother wants her son (our poor friend) to pay rent for a shed he and his father built on her property (huge shed) which he keeps some of his companies machines in. In the 12 years he's owned the business, and had a close relationship with his mother (hence she let him build a large shed on her 6 acre property to begin with)... she's never asked him for rent, he uses a ride-on lawnmower to mow her grass at least once a month, is a doting son, god knows what this psycho-witch has said to his mother, we can only imagine(the mother wont talk about it, insists the ex-wife has said nothing), fortunately, his ex was unable to breed, so at least he hasn't got kids to worry about.

Nature knows best sometimes.

He built this business from the ground up, his now deceased father helped him achieve this 6 years before she even came on the scene, and now she wants half his business on account of her sending a few faxes, the whole time, she kept her own high powered job.

It's going through court now, and appears she's losing, hence she sent his opposition his contacts, she even signed it herself, so will be in huge trouble as soon as they go back to court.

She'll probably use the "But I was out of my mind" excuse and get away with it.

[J.W. Frogen]

I would think the effect would be up and down.

[Outlaw Yogi]

I've stuck to my childhood declaration that I would not procreate. When/if asked why, I tell people "because I avoid responsibility, I've got to be responsible for myself before I can be responsible for others". Which is partly true, but I also suspect its a subconscious desire not to pass on bad conditioning.

I've also avoided marriage because I'm not a very trusting character and have seen too many blokes swindled out of decades of work aquired assets because some wench decides they don't like their current meal ticket anymore. When/if conversing on the topic I've repeatedly said "I won't even consider marriage untill pre-nuptual agreements become legally binding.

While I've been quite critical of many of John Howard's antics while PM, I must give credit where it is due. John Howard changed the laws regarding pre-nups to make them legally binding. But then, what sane woman would want to shack up with an overly tattooed smartarse grump anyway?

[mellie]

There's a bit of a loop-hole when it comes to people being diagnosed with mental disorders, ie... benefit eligibility, stigma etc.

Eg, Many will Dr shop , google their symptoms before they head off to the psychiatrist, it's called 'Masking' and given PD's Personality Disorders are not deemed a more desirable diagnosis, Centrelink benefits wise, many patients diagnosed with them will keep Dr shopping until they get the diagnosis they desire.

Outlaw Yogi , your mum sounds like she has borderline personality disorder to me, not Bipolar, ...the difference being, Bipolars aren't normally malicious or manipulative, they generally just engage in unsafe behaviours (when manic) this and become depressed (when low)...

Check out the DSMIV, unfortunately, in this case, this information which is readily accessible to the lay public can and is often exploited for the wrong reasons.

http://allpsych.com/disorders/dsm.html

When I studied psych (nursing), the DSMIV was only accessible via medical and research databases, ie OVID whereby you needed your Student ID to log in.

Now, anyone can access enough to acquire a formal diagnosis if they want one bad enough.

[mellie]

Furthermore, when you say she's a histrionic manic depressive, you are describing a duel diagnosis..

A mood disorder (bipolar) and a personality disorder (HPD).

The later being more difficult to treat than the former.

It gets a bit tricky with duel diagnosis's.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Furthermore, when you say she's a histrionic manic depressive, you are describing a duel diagnosis..

Hanic depression was the supposed illness/diagnosis - her self medication was quadruple doses of anti-depressants washed down with Brandavino or Blackberry nip.

Histrionics was how the behaviour was often expressed, and a description once used by a shrink or psyche commenting on some of her antics.