Mind on the Run is an absolutely amazing book. What an impressive chronicle of a family attempting to address bipolar disorder. What a struggle for all, including Scotty to keep up hope and to avoid guilt, to problem-solve when few options were available, and to know that disaster was in the wings. All were caught in a trap…Scotty by his illness, his unwillingness to accept the diagnosis or the meds with serious side effects, the deterioration of his self which took its toll in so many losses whether in the shakiness of his hands, loss of business and work opportunities, and his marriages. His nonacceptance of both meds and hospitals was probably valid even in lucid periods, due to the severity/debilitating effects of his illness, an insurmountable blow for such a bright and charismatic person–genetics ran his life to the end despite phenomenal family support. The family was trapped by his intelligence i.e. ability to appear sane when he was out of control, their love and wish to protect him, and an inability to have any sustainable approach to impact the mental health system with its priority to protect patients’ rights. What should have been a chronic illness became a disaster, namely a terminal illness for him and his brother just a year and a half later.
Barbara J. Burns, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Dottie Pacharis’ book, Mind on the Run: A Bipolar Chronicle, poignantly chronicles her family’s anguish as they tried every avenue to get Scotty the mental health care he needed. The nature of bipolar disorder and state laws that protect an individual’s civil rights may result in life threatening conditions not receiving urgent and necessary hospitalization and treatment.
As a mental health professional, Mind on the Run has left an indelible impression on me. It has been helpful in working with families with a member with bipolar disorder. The worry, helplessness, anger, sometimes denial, and extreme stress on the families I see are profound. I highly recommend this book for all families and mental health professionals who are working with a bipolar family member.
As a mental health professional, Mind on the Run has left an indelible impression on me. It has been helpful in working with families with a member with bipolar disorder. The worry, helplessness, anger, sometimes denial, and extreme stress on the families I see are profound. I highly recommend this book for all families and mental health professionals who are working with a bipolar family member.
Elizabeth Zinner, Psychotherapist, Bethesda, Maryland
An intelligent young man with a winning personality used the legal system to escape involuntary hospitalization for his severe Bipolar Disorder. He was able to do this over and over again because every time he had a psychotic manic episode, he was in complete denial that he was sick. The point of the story is that the illness itself caused him to deny that he needed treatment — so the illness raged on and on while his family was helpless to intervene. He was over 18 and refused hospitalization and medication even when recommended by a psychiatrist.
If you ever need motivation to advocate for a rule change regarding treatment for mental illness, this book is it.
It is a hard book to read because the severely ill person successfully refused involuntary treatment during 5 psychotic breaks resulting in a ruined life of failed marriages, financial disaster, and eventual suicide. There was immense heartbreak for this Virginia family.
If you ever need motivation to advocate for a rule change regarding treatment for mental illness, this book is it.
It is a hard book to read because the severely ill person successfully refused involuntary treatment during 5 psychotic breaks resulting in a ruined life of failed marriages, financial disaster, and eventual suicide. There was immense heartbreak for this Virginia family.
Jane Callaway, Virginia Beach NAMI
Dottie Pacharis’ book Mind on the Run details the tragic tale that can sometimes follow
an individual diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Scott Baker’s adolescence was much like
his fellow classmates in his northern Virginia high school. He held summer jobs to help
pay for his hobby, he was entrepreneurial, he graduated high school—and was voted by
his high school class “most likely to succeed”—and went on to graduate from college
with academic honors.
After graduating and a few years working for accounting firm in Washington, D.C., Scott’s behavior begins to dramatically change. Pacharis’ book aptly chronicles the turbulent life many living with bipolar disorder face. A life once set out on a straight path is upturned when the symptoms of mental illness begin to reveal themselves. Five months after his marriage, Scott’s demeanor changed without warning. He became out-of-control and manic. His young wife stayed with him for five months before she finally left, unable to accept a husband with mental illness. Losing his marriage, his job and ultimately his life, Scott battled with the emotional and psychological journey faced by others with bipolar disorder.
Scott and his family’s story mirrors one experienced by others living with mental illness. While the mental health system protected Scott’s civil right to refuse treatment, it prohibited his family from helping him. This powerful account can perhaps show us ways we can improve the system and help those living with mental illness, while still respecting their rights and wishes. Anyone who has ever had a loved one experience bipolar will find this read hits close to home with its vivid depiction of the struggle trying to help someone you love.
After graduating and a few years working for accounting firm in Washington, D.C., Scott’s behavior begins to dramatically change. Pacharis’ book aptly chronicles the turbulent life many living with bipolar disorder face. A life once set out on a straight path is upturned when the symptoms of mental illness begin to reveal themselves. Five months after his marriage, Scott’s demeanor changed without warning. He became out-of-control and manic. His young wife stayed with him for five months before she finally left, unable to accept a husband with mental illness. Losing his marriage, his job and ultimately his life, Scott battled with the emotional and psychological journey faced by others with bipolar disorder.
Scott and his family’s story mirrors one experienced by others living with mental illness. While the mental health system protected Scott’s civil right to refuse treatment, it prohibited his family from helping him. This powerful account can perhaps show us ways we can improve the system and help those living with mental illness, while still respecting their rights and wishes. Anyone who has ever had a loved one experience bipolar will find this read hits close to home with its vivid depiction of the struggle trying to help someone you love.
Brendan McLean, NAMI Advocate
Read this book and learn about the chaos caused by untreated bipolar disorder. Despite the extraordinary and loving efforts of his family over thirteen years, Scott Baker’s bipolar disorder ruined his life;
his downward course was aided by a completely ineffective legal system that continually protected
his right to be severely mentally ill… Dottie Pacharis, Scott’s mother, vividly describes the frantic
experiences of families who struggle to get the mental health care that their family members desperately need and too often fail to receive. This book should be read… by anyone wanting to understand
one of the most misunderstood crises of our time.
Susan Inman, author of After Her Brain Broke
Mental illness is a disease like any other, but stigma and conditions inherent to brain disease give it a
special quality. As you read this account, you will likely recognize that something like this could befall
– or is happening to – your family. But how many who have struggled for years to seek help for a
loved one are willing to write a personal account. It is our duty to read this book and think hard about
what more we can do as families and must do as a society.
James Pavle, Executive Director, the Treatment Advocacy Center
This book is a MUST read for anyone with a family member who has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
It is also for those in the judicial system, for advocates, and for medical doctors. Scott Baker’s life did
not have to end. Like many who have bipolar disorder, Scott was not only a highly intelligent person,
he had family members who loved him, supported him in his recovery, and advocated for him. Scott
did at times, lack insight… Dottie Pacharis… courageously outlines her own experience in navigating
our mental health system. Unfortunately, the map for Scott’s recovery was full of dead ends and
wrong turns. {But the book also] offers hope: Hope to change the future for the next Scott Baker.
Kathryn Leib Hunter, Executive Director, NAMI of Collier County, Florida