Hi,
How’s it going?
I hope you are doing well.
I am feeling better actually. Not totally better. I guess I must have some kind of sinus infection. I get them really, really bad every other year. And sort of bad every year. This is the year to get it really bad.
It sure did wipe me out. I did virtually nothing for two straight days. For the first time, I watched a bunch of TV. I couldn’t read because it was hurting my eyes.
Anyway, I am hoping to feel totally fine by this Wednesday and I am taking the week off from working out.
Okay enough about me. Yesterday I took a few minutes to read over the blog and saw this comment posted a few days ago:
“Hi,
i love having someone else understand all this sh*t for a change. as i said in my personal info, i don’t know which medications i should turn to, so i’ve been suffering through it all without them. granted, for a time, i “self-medicated” myself with crystal-meth to keep the arguments in my head down to a whisper, but when that no longer worked, i turned to cutting myself to focus my thoughts. the pain crystallized my focus to a point where i could DEAL with the things happening around me, y’know?
maybe you don’t know, but that’s my POINT: how do i deal as i grow older (i’m 39), when the prices of medications are out of my reach? episodes are easier to deal with when i’ve got resources to turn to, but i’m technically -homeless and haven’t had a steady job in years because i also seem to have issues dealing with public-contact situations, and it’ not always easy trying to make bipolar-I sit in the background while i try to make a living in this freakin’ world!!!!
sorry i rambled-on there, but it takes me only a second to get worked-up nowadays! i hope i don’t offend anyone out there, ok?”
I wanted to respond to this post because there are a number of people in the situation that this person described–that is medication seems to be out of reach.
There are a number of things that can be done. But many require having like a home base to work from, because you have to get forms mailed to you and have a phone. But, I have a work around to that.
Here’s my recommendation if you are homeless, need/want treatment (note it’s important to not just need treatment but to want it as well), I would go to google.com and type in “mental health” and your county and look at the listings.
From this search, you’ll start to find organizations that deal with mental health attached to your county and state. Now if no hing comes up, replace your county with your state so you would type mental health and your state.
Now the next thing that I would do is this, type in bipolar support group and your county or city. If that fails, type in bipolar support group and your state.
Once you have these listings, I would visit these places and say something like the following.
“I have bipolar disorder, and I need treatment and medication. I need someone’s help. I am finally ready to accept my illness but I need help to pay for my medication and treatment.”
I would say that numerous times until I found someone who you felt strongly would help. It’s hard for me to describe but you can generally get a good feeling from a person who will be really helpful or go to the end of the earth for you. They will say things like, “wow, that’s terrible, let’s see what we can do. I know all these different programs. Let me help. Etc.”
Now when you go to the bipolar support group, you be 100% honest telling people that you are homeless, need treatment and a way to pay for it. You tell people you are finally ready to accept your disorder. If I am a betting person, people will be really motivated to help someone in this situation. Really motivated.
It’s going to be a process but probably between the mental health organizations and bipolar support groups, you’ll find all the programs that can treat you for free and also get you medication for free. People in these groups will help you fill out the paperwork and handle a lot of stuff for you that normally you might have to do if you were not homeless.
What do I mean? Well if you are homeless, you won’t have an address for papers to be mailed to you so these organizations will probably use their address and be the go between or coordinator on your behalf.
Also, let me say a few things. First, do NOT be ashamed that you are homeless. I have interviewed countless success stories who were homeless once, twice, three times or more because of bipolar disorder. Secondly, don’t feel bad or embarrassed about asking for help. A strong person asks for help when they need it. A dumb person doesn’t and keeps trying to do it all him/herself. I know a business person who is so dumb it’s amazing. I say dumb because he is a mean person. He never asks for help and thinks he knows everything about everything. As a result his company never grows it just gets smaller.
Anyway, all of the research can be done at the library on their computers. Also, if you are having trouble, you can ask the reference libraries to help you find mental health organizations and support groups. I would recommend trying to look the best that you possibly can so these people really want to help.
BUT, even if the reference librarian is not helping, you can easily do these searches on your own. It’s just a matter of going to google.com and typing in the words.
Now if you are not homeless and reading this and thinking, “well this isn’t for me” you are dead wrong. Listen up.
In my courses/systems below:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Many of the success stories that I interview were homeless at one point or their loved ones were. How does this happen? Well I believe for anyone with bipolar disorder this can easily happen.
One of the major things that I was fascinated with was how many of these success stories pulled themselves up against all odds. It’s kind of amazing.
The bottom line is, if you stop taking your medication. Then you start doing and saying really bad things, you probably are going to lose your job. Then eventually you start to alleviate the people around you who then wind up leaving you. Then eventually you run out of money and without money your home eventually will go.
It’s critical to learn how to support someone with bipolar disorder if they go into an episode or how to manage the disorder yourself. Otherwise this is possible.
For the most part anyone homeless with bipolar disorder really had supporters that generally didn’t know how to help them. I am NOT blaming it on the supporters but just stating the fact. The bipolar disorder wound up winning the war so to speak.
With my mom, there is no question in my mind that she could have gone homeless when she went into her really big episode. If you read and listen to my courses and systems I explain that my mom had quit her job, run up $30,000 of d.ebt with massive interest rates, alienated virtually everyone.
My dad was at the end of his rope. He talked about moving back to Texas and giving my mom the house. If that happen, it would not have been more than 6 months and she would have been homeless if I wasn’t around.
Eventually my mom would have been on the streets in the suburbs and eventually gravitate most likely to the city because they don’t allow people to walk the streets in the suburbs generally.
This is the reality. My mom agrees. Many people don’t understand this. This is why there are so many people who are homeless who have bipolar disorder.
Take a trip to any city and look at the people who are homeless. Many ONLY NEED maybe a week of treatment to get them back on track but they have no supporter or guidance. They are out of it. It’s sad but true.
My goal is to help you or your loved one with bipolar disorder avoid this terrible fate.
BUT, if you are currently homeless, don’t give up hope, remember what I said, MANY of my major success stories were all homeless more than one time. You can do it, just take action today.
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.