If you can please take time to read this and share. It might be a little long but take a minute. Last week I posted some wonderful things about Robin Williams. I was truly sad but it also hit close to home. As some of you know my daughter Devynn Dewey, has been struggling for months and recently diagnosed with bi-polar 1 with psychotic features(visual and auditory hallucinations) and anxiety disorder. She was prescribed Zoloft but it made all her symptoms worse. She missed so much school and was so depressed and anxious most days. Depressed to the point she didnt want to get out of bed or face the day. Then some days she was so hyper Id have to peel her off the walls. On some days shed get everything;depression, anxiety and mania. One night she took 10 Zoloft and ended up going to a mental health facility. Thats when I learned she was having the visual and auditory hallucinations. She was hearing voices. A voice told her to take the Zoloft and just die! She got all different medications and was in the facility for a week. Got out, did ok for a few weeks and spiraled down hill again and went to the same mental health facility. Spent another week there and did an outpatient for 2 weeks. Her meds have slightly changed but seems to be okay. But, she will have a life long battle with her diagnosis. Bi-polar is inherited. My mom is bi-polar 1, and has had 3 mental break downs, and Devynn is bi-polar 1 which is the most severe. I dont have as bad as they do, but I do know what it is like to have a bi-polar brain. The only way I can describe it is this, imagine 5 radio stations going on in your head at once or the scan button like on your car radio is constantly going. Some days you are so energetic its like drinking a few red bulls and other days you are so in such a dark hole that there is no light at all. Some days you have the mix of both. Concentration is extremely hard and makes doing anything challenging. Impulse behavior with no regard to consequence is quite common. They often cant control their thoughts or actions. Sleep is poor because the brain doesnt want to shut down. Treating a bi-polar is very difficult because a once med or meds that worked can all of a sudden stop working. Some bi-polars, like Devynn and my mom get the auditory hallucinations. Basically, hearing voices. They can have mental break downs at any given time if the meds arent right and sometimes even if they are right. Men are typically harder to treat because they often wont seek help or they dont stick to their meds. Teenagers are hard to treat because they often get the same side effects from the meds that youre trying to treat. The first onset is also hard to control. I am putting this out there because mental health is a real issue weather it is bi-polar, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, ocd, dillusions or anxiety. More research needs to be done and its still somewhat stigmatized. Not one person should judge someone for taking there own life. Anyone can have the right to their own opinion, but no one has the right to spew venom or be hurtful. I have seen first hand how mental health can affect someones life and how hard it can be to just live life. People with mental health often exist, they dont live life. Mental health issues need to be looked at the same way as physical health issues. As the saying goes, until you have walked in some one elses shoes dont judge. We must have empathy and sympathy. And please take notice if you have a friend or family member struggling. You may just save someones life.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:52:08 +0000
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