tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post3527921373835188357..comments2023-10-16T08:25:47.205-05:00Comments on PARSLEY'S PICS: Sane Enough to Know I'm Not: Bipolar 101 (1)Leslie Parsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-16549276643324969302010-10-25T23:12:55.847-05:002010-10-25T23:12:55.847-05:00I encountered a guy on OS who is bipolar. He has ...I encountered a guy on OS who is bipolar. He has EXTREME mood swings. He's incredibly intelligent and writes some fascinating stuff to read. He's got a cool name - James M Emmerling. Every once in awhile he disappears for a long time, returning to write again about his stay in the "hospital."<br /><br />http://open.salon.com/blog/james_emm<br /><br />His writing reminds me Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13829283375082711360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-47991949724310782332010-10-09T22:49:48.582-05:002010-10-09T22:49:48.582-05:00Tiny- Thank you. My God. How very, very sad. No, y...Tiny- Thank you. My God. How very, very sad. No, you are not crazy but I know too well how someone can drive you to think that way. Maybe landing up in that hospital was a good thing? Maybe saved your life?Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-55250359326799058502010-10-09T21:20:54.282-05:002010-10-09T21:20:54.282-05:00suicide? Suicide? SUICIDE? Tiny felt like that big...suicide? Suicide? SUICIDE? Tiny felt like that big sign was nailed to her chest like being in stocks. No self-esteem or self-worth taught in and reinforced every time the church doors were opened. Lower than worms in the dust. Not good enough for heaven, but you better be or you burn in hell FOREVER! Afraid to go to sleep for fear you won't wake up. Afraid to wake up for fear you will still Tinynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-51289467528530276892010-10-08T17:27:56.888-05:002010-10-08T17:27:56.888-05:00Beach: I hope you read TAO's comment above.Beach: I hope you read TAO's comment above.Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-28620664210006059122010-10-08T16:25:37.342-05:002010-10-08T16:25:37.342-05:00Great post and I am living with someone who is als...Great post and I am living with someone who is also bipolar.Commander Zaiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-65612027382249515532010-10-08T11:03:20.879-05:002010-10-08T11:03:20.879-05:00RC: I think it's more a case of output, or lac...RC: I think it's more a case of output, or lack of it, that can be very telling. When I'm "up," I can't stop writing and posting. When I'm down nothing interests me and I can't put two words together. Remember, this is a matter of extremes. There are some other little signals that, added up altogether, indicate the possibility of a mood disorder - at least to me.<br Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-5699669161033040502010-10-08T10:17:22.708-05:002010-10-08T10:17:22.708-05:00I just felt I would notice something different in ...I just felt I would notice something different in writing, because I feel a person's writing, also reflect's their feeling's, emotion's, mood's, etc ... at least when I write, I have emotion's in my writing ... as far as anger, happy, sad, love, etc ... you know what I'm saying(?) I kind of like write like I talk I reckon in person. I was in close contact with 4 Ranch Chimphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086251248546955720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-12704928839041384402010-10-08T08:56:14.525-05:002010-10-08T08:56:14.525-05:00SW: Psychiatrists are the only ones who have the a...SW: Psychiatrists are the only ones who have the authority to prescribe "mood altering" meds. I very, very vaguely recall something about a few psychologists having limited authority to prescribe such meds, but they shouldn't. Nor should MDs. But I'll get into this in my final post.<br /><br />I don't mind people sympathetically saying that I'm in their prayers but the Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-19063011789984627092010-10-08T08:42:51.200-05:002010-10-08T08:42:51.200-05:00BJ: You are too kind. I've been thrilled with,...BJ: You are too kind. I've been thrilled with, fascinated with and enlightened by all these wonderful comments. I am the one benefiting from all this.<br /><br />Oso: Addiction can be a byproduct of bipolar, whether or not we know we have it. Often, it's the only way - or so it seems - we can shut off our brains which are racing a mile a minute and making it impossible to sleep. Or it mayLeslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-77391731821995615682010-10-08T02:41:25.767-05:002010-10-08T02:41:25.767-05:00Thank You for sharing this info, never took time o...Thank You for sharing this info, never took time on this subject, just heard alot of folk's had it. Leslie .... reading your stuff as long as I have been ... I would have had no idea whatsoever you have any kind of disorder. Like I said, I known a few (3) acquaintence's over the year's ... who told me they had problem's with this, and I reckon I didnt understand and just thought, Ranch Chimphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14086251248546955720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-91657803080685960802010-10-08T00:06:31.768-05:002010-10-08T00:06:31.768-05:00L.P., thanks for more insight, again so well writt...L.P., thanks for more insight, again so well written.<br /><br />Psychiatrists are M.D.'s and have full prescribing authority. As I understand it, some psychologists have limited prescribing authority while others have none.<br /><br /><i>"“Well, I’m sure if you pray and talk to the Lord, you’ll be just fine.”</i><br /><br />DIY, huh? How much better to have someone who genuinely cares S.W. Andersonhttp://wpblog.ohpinion.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-90307411393583929522010-10-07T21:41:52.287-05:002010-10-07T21:41:52.287-05:00Leslie,
Although I don't have direct experienc...Leslie,<br />Although I don't have direct experience with being bipolar, I've had similar issues with alcohol and drug abuse - sober 35 years!<br /><br />Without going into detail I understand how people will unintentionally minimize, often for well intentioned reasons or to show solidarity.<br /><br />My heart goes out to you, Tao's wife and others. Addiction is insidious, I know Osohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09513535195785731541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-89252571217175723862010-10-07T19:56:54.069-05:002010-10-07T19:56:54.069-05:00TAO, Paula, everyone: I am so impressed by your wi...TAO, Paula, everyone: I am so impressed by your willingness to open up and share your own thoughts and experiences. Leslie, this openness is so refreshing. You have done a good thing, my friend. Your posts and all the comments are a much-needed book in the making. I recently listened to Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff amd couldn't imagine B.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-52852521422758841802010-10-07T19:42:50.796-05:002010-10-07T19:42:50.796-05:00Dave: Good to see you here. Yes, TAO's comment...Dave: Good to see you here. Yes, TAO's comment is very profound and I've saved it.<br /><br />Darlene: Some pdocs will charge on a sliding scale. The problem is finding a good one - preferably someone with a pharmacology degree. This is something I can't stress enough. Failing that, she might check out city or university services. I have a friend who wrote the necessary pharmaceuticalLeslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-87215930247081299752010-10-07T18:31:00.476-05:002010-10-07T18:31:00.476-05:00Thank you for this very important post, Leslie. M...Thank you for this very important post, Leslie. My daughter thinks she is bipolar and I tend to agree with her. She has been diagnosed as having clinical depression. She has been to two different psychiatrists, but a divorce meant that she lost her medical coverage. She was on a medication that stabilized her, but can no longer afford it. She is taking some medication for the disorder and Darlenehttp://darleneshodgepodge.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-26267198583247969552010-10-07T16:28:35.341-05:002010-10-07T16:28:35.341-05:00TAO, I knew there was something we have in common ...TAO, I knew there was something we have in common besides an extreme dislike of political idiocy...<br /><br />I could have written, albeit not as well, your comments too...Dave Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04272431500457083818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-37228053099509635122010-10-07T13:01:39.076-05:002010-10-07T13:01:39.076-05:00Paula: I can identify with all of that. Not only a...Paula: I can identify with all of that. Not only am I bipolar, it's a sure bet that my second husband was as well. Apparently bipolars are attracted to each other for the same reasons you were attracted to you husband. Imagine having two in the same household. When one is up, the other is down! I felt the same way you did when my ex died but because of my own demons I've had an extremely Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-53933490203025446232010-10-07T10:32:08.536-05:002010-10-07T10:32:08.536-05:00First, Leslie- this is a very courageous and educa...First, Leslie- this is a very courageous and educational act on your part, baring your soul to try and tell us what it's like to go through life with a diagnosis of being bipolar.<br /><br />My fraternal grandfather, a retired cop, had a mood disorder most of his life. In the late 1950's he received electro-shock therapy to relieve the symptoms. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 1958 he Hugh Jee From Jerseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04607469531806734788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-87689620575684983972010-10-07T09:14:18.541-05:002010-10-07T09:14:18.541-05:00I applaud the courage you must have to take on thi...I applaud the courage you must have to take on this topic, and thank you for enlightening us. I'm sure we'll all learn a great deal. <br /><br />My own brush with bipolar disorder involved my first husband. It was his brilliance and enormous appetite for excitement that attracted me to him as much as his creativity, which generally involved days and days of brooding followed by gigantic paulahttp://www.birdsonawireblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-68202021098744109202010-10-07T09:12:52.069-05:002010-10-07T09:12:52.069-05:00TAO: I don't think I've ever read anything...TAO: I don't think I've ever read anything from the "other side" as poignant as what you've written here. "you are the one that they will lash out to first and foremost." This resonates with me. I admire you, TAO. A lot of men would have escaped through the back door rather than deal with this. Your love and compassion is very evident. She's a lucky lady, and Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-60530491995165259392010-10-07T07:56:58.076-05:002010-10-07T07:56:58.076-05:00Guilt is not the first emotion....at first you wan...Guilt is not the first emotion....at first you want to find a cure or a fix. You expect everything to get better then. <br /><br />Then you have anger, anger because you feel that they are not working hard enough to get better.<br /><br />Then you begin to wonder why is this happening to me?<br /><br />What did I do to deserve this? <br /><br />It becomes personal because you are the loved one Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-45119930218370683042010-10-06T23:57:27.397-05:002010-10-06T23:57:27.397-05:00BJ: I had an aunt who committed suicide after eigh...BJ: I had an aunt who committed suicide after eight years of excruciating back pain. I lived with her for a time. I think all of us feel guilt when that happens. I also think that when it is your own child it has to be a thousand times worse. I'm so sorry to hear about this. Teenage suicide has grown to epidemic proportions and it's a heartbreaking travesty.<br /><br />Thank you BJ and Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-49982898087999810582010-10-06T23:49:50.571-05:002010-10-06T23:49:50.571-05:00Viki: I do think family members have an obligation...Viki: I do think family members have an obligation to read up on it and learn as much as they can. Until they do that they don't have the necessary tools to be of much help. <br /><br />There is plenty of info on the Internet at NAMI and the Mental Health Assn. sites. Plus there's one called Pendulum, which has been around for 20 or so years. <br /><br />http://www.pendulum.org/Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-16979584886200748422010-10-06T22:58:57.547-05:002010-10-06T22:58:57.547-05:00You do a service with these posts!You do a service with these posts!Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166865250789996825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8125940219291633674.post-77266584381967953922010-10-06T21:48:17.899-05:002010-10-06T21:48:17.899-05:00I just sit here feeling so very thankful for my he...I just sit here feeling so very thankful for my health. I would be curious to know from persons like Annelle (who commented on your introductory post) and TAO, who have loved ones who are bipolar: do they feel “guilty” because they themselves are healthy? I ask that because I feel guilty to an extent when others around me are suffering.<br /><br />My older son committed suicide in 1982 at age 17.B.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12004309077511856506noreply@blogger.com