People believe that I am dangerous when I would never hurt anyone and my family refuses to accept my diagnosis because they believe definitions like yours to be the only true one. The millions of people like me that struggle internally are hurt worse by your book, not helped. Please reconsider the sensationalism that hurts those of us suffering with the disorder already.

You have a voice and a heart for the struggle of mental illness, please use it to help all of us.

Thank you.

Thank you for your email. Your point is well taken and I apologize. You and the many others out there who manage their illness are true role models and are to be commended. I’m remiss in not addressing this in the editorial I wrote for GroundReport. In my defense, I addressed this in my book and will do so in future editorials. Below are direct quotes from the book.

“People reading this book who have a family member or close friend with bipolar disorder may become concerned that they, too, will face situations like those in this book. Put your mind at ease. I assure you Scotty’s illness was much more severe than most. When manic, Scotty never realized he was sick and thus couldn’t make rational decisions regarding treatment. For him, the illness erased anything resembling reality. I have friends who are bipolar whose illness is less severe; for the most part, they manage their illness and live normal lives. Many have very successful careers, happy marriages and live normal lives. They take their medication and are proactive, not reactive, to warning signs. Yes, they have a very serious mental illness, but they manage their illness – the illness does not manage them. These people are true role models for others struggling with this illness and are to be commended.

The chronicle of Scotty’s mind on the run looks at the other side of the problem, where the person with bipolar is not able to care for himself. It is a look at what can and, more often, cannot be done by the family of the person who has bipolar disorder.”

If appropriate, think about giving your parents a copy of the book with the above highlighted as it appears on page 6.

Please be assured I do have a heart for people struggling with mental illness and take advantage of every opportunity to speak out in this regard.

Again, thank you very much for your email. If I can ever be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Dottie Pacharis

Margaret

Thank you for your email. Your story is tragic…my heart goes out to you. Normal life just does not exist for families dealing with mental illness.

As you know, the laws in most states make it extraordinarily difficult for family members to get treatment for their loved ones who are overcome by severe mental illness. Once you reach age 18, you have a civil right to refuse treatment and remain mentally ill until you become suicidal or homicidal. Untreated bipolar disorder took my son on a 13-year roller coaster ride. It destroyed two marriages, his career, and ultimately his life…all this in the name of protecting his civil right to remain mentally ill and refuse treatment.

I’ve become an advocate for family involvement in decisions about treatment. What happened to my son, and sadly, continues to happen to other people like him, just should not happen in this country. My suggestion is to join advocacy groups to get support for yourself. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a wonderful organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those persons with acute and chronic mental illness and their families through education, support and advocacy. They offer a wonderful Family to Family class to help you understand what you and your family are facing and help in finding connections and resources in your community.

Go to www.nami.org and click on the link to find a local chapter near you. Hang in there Margaret and please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Dottie Pacharis