Thursday’s International: More from the Taser files
A bipolar man in Canada who’d previously had amiable relationships with police officers died after a later encounter went wrong. From the Chronicle Herald:
“We were dispatched to provide assistance to a person who appeared to be mentally disturbed,” testified [officer] Clement.
Three officers were present and they went inside the garage. To Clement’s surprise, it was the man he’d met outside the coffee shop.
But Clement said he quickly realized something was very wrong because of the way he was talking.
“He gave me directions for where to walk and where to step because I was entering a voodoo garden,” said the constable.
“It was obvious to me Kevin had lost contact with reality.”
While two officers stayed with Geldart, Clement went inside the home and spoke to the parents, who told him their son has suffered from bipolar disorder since he was 18 and was having a psychotic episode.
Clement testified the parents said he had to be dealt with because he was “losing it.”
Things went from bad to worse after Geldart got to the ER and became violent. Three days later, in another violent encounter, the officers shocked Geldart with 50,000 volts to subdue him, but the shocks killed him. At an inquest, his sister passed around photos of Geldart, and shared stories. From the Chronicle Herald:
She talked about the fact her brother loved Monty Python and the Rolling Stones, and how he played with Lego as a youngster and got good grades in school.
But when he got to junior high, she said he began to miss classes and smoke marijuana. He didn’t apply himself in high school and developed depression and insomnia.
He was diagnosed at the age of 18 with the mental illness and would later be placed on permanent disability.
And therein begins and ends, in a sense, a sad tale. In this instance, however, I think the officers sounded very sympathetic and reluctant to use force.
Inquest begins into Taser death
liz | 9:20 AM | Uncategorized
Not totally out of touch with popular culture
But mostly. I thought this headline was about hip-hop:
Agreement Reached on NWA Mental Health Unit
Yeah, dawg. Straight outta Philly, yo.
liz | 6:38 PM | Uncategorized
Newsweek cover story
Men and depression, that’s what’s in the news this week. I’m always glad to see major media coverage of mental health issues. The thesis of the article is that men suffer from depression in high numbers but are under-reporters. Depression, Newsweek maintains, with some historical justification, is known as a woman’s illness–associated with hysteria and emotionality. Women report depression and address it. Men, because they don’t want to be sissies, try to supress it.
Also, Newsweek reports that men’s depression manifests differently than women’s. Men who drink too much, rage or get aggressive are often struggling with psychological problems that they don’t even know they have. It all sounds plausible, yet I’m wary of relying too heavily on this notion of masculinity equated with toughness. Haven’t we made any progress at all in gender politics? The article even cites the Mars vs. Venus series, which I found extremely limited in scope.
I don’t know if it means anything, but I have just as many male readers as female here, maybe more. So I ask you, male readers: What’s your take on this? Is it harder for you to seek help?
[P.S. Can we stop talking about Winston Churchill and Vincent van Gogh and Lincoln already? Jeez. The man pictured, Mass. Sen. Robert Antonioni, is alive and happy to talk now.]
liz | 2:05 PM | Uncategorized
First Person, Singular
I’ve often tried to solicit entries from y’all–first-person accounts of your own experiences. I know how difficult it is to share oneself with the public, so I understand why most people don’t write in. That’s why I’d like to thank Terry Boal, who wrote a very powerful chronicle of living with schizoaffective disorder. Terry posted it as a comment here in response to another account, but I’m featuring it because I think it’s well worth reading. It helps us to understand each other. Thanks, Terry, for opening yourself up to us.
Rain pelts incessantly at my bedroom window. What else is new? This is Vancouver after all. Some look on the bright side. They say all this rain makes us appreciate the sun more. The logic is flawed. It’s as if someone pounds their head against a telephone pole and when asked why, answers, “Because it feels so good when I stop”
After tossing and turning all night, I get up, pull on a sweater, jeans and cross trainers and set out to buy cigarettes. Underwear and socks seem superfluous. Not so however. Why blue jeans have been in style so long is a mystery. They offer little warmth and when wet are designed to induce hypothermia. A chill nips at my nether regions.
It’s the hour of the wolf, the hour just before dawn, when our mammalian metabolism is at its lowest ebb. It’s when wolves cut the weakest out of the herd. Insomnia leaves me vulnerable. Alone in my apartment again, I face my own predator, the black dog, depression.Torpor sets in. I barely muster the energy to get out of wet clothes. In a bathrobe, I retreat to the couch to indulge in self-pity. The prevailing wisdom is it is the eighth deadly sin. Normally I practice good mental hygiene and, by and large, focus on the positive. In quieter moments, however, when no one is around, I let it have its way. It is a guilty pleasure, like watching long dead sitcoms resurrected in syndication over and over.
[Photo by djkubik via Flickr]
liz | 10:05 AM | Uncategorized
Cute fix: More sugar glider adorableness
From CuteOverload comes this teensy baby sugar glider.
liz | 2:21 PM | Uncategorized
Bipolar Made Me Do It: Steal money from a terminally ill child
Dear God. What’s worse than taking money from a dying kid? Murdering a kitten? Biting a puppy? I can’t conceive of a bigger crime. The perpetrator, Julie Buchanan, former president of the PTA (this is starting to sound like an episode of Weeds), stole $145,000 from a Nashville elementary school, and callously refused to give the promised money to the dead kid’s family. She claimed bipolar made her behave this way, but the judge sentenced her to up to 15 years.
Someone posted this comment in response to a newspaper story: “Hope she becomes somebody’s beeeotch real soon! She’s disgusting.”
[Photo of Buchanan copyright Tennessean.]
liz | 12:29 PM | Uncategorized
Wreath-laying ceremony
Sorry for the late notice, but there’s a ceremony honoring Barbara Gittings at noon today at the Historic Marker (6th & Chestnut Streets) across from the Liberty Bell Pavilion.
liz | 10:27 AM | Uncategorized
More on Rebecca Riley
The case of Rebecca Riley, the 4-year-old who was overmedicated and died because of it, continues to be fleshed out by the media. In the article here, the Boston Globe asks if Riley’s psychiatrist can reasonably be held responsible for the child’s overdose (her parents are in jail). The Department of Social Services opened a file on Riley’s family in 2002. You can read the DSS timeline, also from the Globe, here. And once again, the New York Times‘ Benedict Carey takes on the issue of children and psych drugs, using this case as an example, here.
[Image of Rebecca's parents by Gary Higgins/Associated Press/published in the NYT]
liz | 8:43 AM | Uncategorized
True confession: President’s Day 2007
I just spent a half-hour Googling an ex-boyfriend who I got so close to marrying, we had napkins with our names printed on them. I have no idea where he is now, nor am I really interested. So why am I Googling him?
liz | 4:48 PM | Uncategorized
The devil in Monterey
Here is a real question from a real social worker for a real doctor that was published in the Monterey County Herald. It all sounds completely normal (though depressing) until the last few paragraphs. Then you’re like, What?
Dear Dr. Gott: I am a social worker and have worked as a case manager and counselor for more than 20 years. I was working in the system and watched the process of de-institutionalization. I do understand about mental illness and have compassion.
My son, age 22, was married for 14 months. I am sure the girl he married, age 19, is bipolar and has a borderline personality disorder. Some of her bizarre behaviors included beating up furniture with a hammer when she could not have her own way, physically beating up my son so badly that he could not work, spending large sums of money in a few hours time, sleeping more than 18 hours at a time for many days in a row and pitting people against each other by telling lies.
She was totally unmotivated and never cooked or cleaned. Her family reached a breaking point, and they could not handle the situation. This girl has been in foster homes and in juvenile detention. She has never held a job for more than two days. She did achieve getting her driver’s license during the marriage.
My son had never seen such behaviors, and I am sure he was shocked. I am concerned he will continue to be attracted to people with mental-health problems. He is not open to help at this time, but I believe his pattern of behavior in relationships will not change without help.
Is there anything you can suggest I can do to influence him to seek help? I have been married for 40 years, and I believe I have provided a stable environment for him and my two daughters. One daughter has a developmental disorder; however, she is very independent and motivated. I am sure this has also influenced his pattern in relationships.
Recently, I was reflecting with a colleague. She said that my former daughter-in-law was possessed by the devil. This is a very educated mental-health worker who has a lot of experience treating mental illness. I was shocked by her statement.
I have heard this many times before in other situations. Is there such a thing as being possessed by the devil?
For the good doctor’s answer, jump it.
[Image of devil and imp by Cinnablythe via Flickr]
liz | 3:46 PM | Uncategorized
