I can relate to your article about involving the police when someone with Bipolar Disorder becomes suicidal. For a long time I thought my husband had Bipolar Disorder, but then a nurse friend of mine told me if it’s really bipolar then he wouldn’t be able to turn it on and off when he wants to. Regardless, my husband has some mental issues and was threatening suicide a couple of weeks ago, I called a couple of his friends to the house to help me prevent him from getting into the car and carrying out his threat. They told me over and over not to call the police,so I didn’t. Now, I wish I had.He needs help and that’s probably the only way I could’ve gotten him help. I was instructed by the Suicide crisis hotline to ask for a CIT officer when I call and they will send a certified intervention trained police officer. So, there are people in uniform who are getting the training they need to help people with mental issues,just so you know.

For the last few months I have read your emails and newletters with great interest. Your efforts are very positive and I would like to offer any any of your readers my experience as a bipolar person. You may be familiar with my two books, “Monster In My Mind” and “Thoughts of a Madman”, both published by Publish America. They both offer a unique view of one who has the bipolar disorder as well as my wife who I put through “heck”. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.
Rick Wilson

Dave, Thank you for your email today. My family had a tragic police call on the 1st of Feb. Not only was my son taken to jail but my husband and myself were also taken. We called 911 for medical assistance my son was in manic phase. We told them there was no danger just wanted him to get medical atten. We wanted him to go to the hospital. We do have mental hot line in our state md. but the police refused to call it. My son was just sitting in the car with girlfriend returning from church. He had done nothing wrong. The police arrived my husband stopped them in the driveway and said we do not need you just medical help. The were aggressive and would not listen to him and ran toward my son who knew nothing about them being called. His girlfriend tried to tell them he was manic they told her he knew just what he was doing. I tried to plead with them not to arrest him he just needed medical help, they just kept beating my son. Two were holding him down while another sat on his chest and beat his head against large rocks in my garden. My husband was so upset when yet another came running up the drive with his hand on his gun, my husband who had been in the herb garden cutting rosemary for our breakfast pulled his paring knife from his jacket and said do not hurt my son. They pulled the guns on my husband and he threw the knife right down. It was wrong for him to do that and he said he was sorry and but he thought they were going to kill our son right in our dirveway. I was making another call in the house of 911 medical help by the time I got out a matter of no more than 3 or 4 min. my husband was lying on the ground not moving my son was still being beat, I bent down to see if my husband was breathing and I heard a police office say get the knife. I did not even know there was a knife, as I turned my head to look a office grabbed me up by my arm, I was in total shock as to why he would put his hands on me. I told him to take his hands off me and pulled away, at this time my opened hand touched his shoulder and he threw me down and arressted me. I saw the medical units arrive finally and called out for assistance but the police would not let them enter our poperty. My husband and I have never been in trouble in 57 years, not even traffic. These officers has ruined our life we have lived in our county for over 40 years. To this date my son is still in the detention center in annapolis, and our legal fees will bankrupt us. The trama that his been done to all of us is unreal. We were only asking for help. My son did not get into the medical unit at the detention center till the 25th of Feb. and this only happened after my letters to the county executive were read and he called the warden. The lack of training or care of these officers has destroyed our family. Thanks for listening. I have order some of your material but not received it yet. I just wanted to thank you for all your emails that are so helpful to us.

Thank you for all you information. I am the mother of a dual diagnoses bipolar son, who has suffered so much in ths life time due to my own misunderstanding of what’s happening, as well as society. He just recently had a familiar incident, and we, forunately, were there and able to get him transported to a hospital. Again, thank you.

My daughter has always been very verbally abusive and many times violent during an eposode. The police have been called many times as a last resort. It always scares me. One time she was mased when she was already handcuffed. It’s hard to know the right thing to do.

I can sympathize with the family who lost Jack during his bipolar episode. Educating the police is very important . . . but educating the public about police work is equally as important. I worked for a small town police department and know that most officers are caring and dedicated individuals. They are faced with countless situations every day where people are at their worst – as in the case of a bipolar episode.

It is easy for someone to say that the police should have tried to subdue him first – but were they there? Did they see the behavior of the individual? A person with a knife is far more dangerous to a law enforcement officer than a man with a gun. Most people do not realize that. It is easier to face a gun with a bullet proof vest as it is more difficult than you realize to hit a moving target. A knife however is far more difficult to defend oneself against (no matter how easy Hollywood and TV may make it seem). Most officers are trained to defend the public and themselves rather than commit to hand-to-hand combat.

It is good to see less lethal means of defense being developed and used by police departments such as bean-bag guns and tasers. yet even with these less lethal defensive weapons, individuals can still be killed.

It is never an easy situation for the police when they arrive at a scene of a reported violent person. And most departments will try to disfuse the situation first. Sometimes the first officer on the scene is left with no choices and doesn’t have time to wait for backup. Its easy to judge from the outside and say what the police should have done – it is quite another to arrive on the scene, be faced with a violent individual with a knife and not have time to stop and assess the situation before you have to defence yourself or someone else.

I wasn’t there when Jack died – I don’t know all of the details, but I do know that its far easier to sit back and judge after the fact than to be in the middle of the situation and have to make a split second decision. It’s never easy for an officer who ends up shooting a suspect and then finding out that suspect had a mental illness. Contrary to what many people believe, most police officers care – that is why they do what they do.

Sticking around (if possible) to let the police know what is happening is a good idea. Just remember not all police departments have the manpower or the alternative defensive weapons to make the outcome of the situation what everyone would like it to be.

My heart goes out to this family – and to the officers who were involved. It is a heartbreaking situation for ALL involved.

NSH

Hi Dave,
Biy does this sure hits home. I have bi polar and my grown son (36) has mental health issues and won’t get help. He was here visiting me the other day and he was telling me of his problems so as a good mother I was giving him suggestions on what to do. He got verbably abusive and was throwing things and threating sucicide. I took him home and went over to Community Services ( our mental health for the county) where I get my help and spoke to my theripist. It was decided that a pick up order be sent out and the state police responded along with the head of community services. What they found was my son cool calm and collected. BEcause of his stat of mind at the time they did not transport. Since then I have been in a major episode and afraid. I feel like I am the one who they tink needs help instead of the victim. I am seriously afraid that he will do something drastic and can’t get the help he needs. When I suggest him going for help he says that they don’t want to help him just drug him.

Dear Dave

I have read a lot of your emails and I wonder if we all appreciate your work which is free instead of being negative. I am a South African, how I wish in our country we could have awareness raising platforms and informed key stakeholders, including police regarding this matter.

I am trying to learn and understand bipolar. My loved one disclosed to me that he has bipolar, when i asked him what does it entails, he responded by saying he will do things that tomorrow he will regret having done them. I never believed him initially, however as time goes by I am beginning to pick up some truth to what he has told me. What is sad is that he knows about it and is doing nothing to deal with it. I am trying to approach him such that he is able to do something about it. YOur emails are just what I need to empower him about doing something.

Keep up your good work. Turn the negative comments to positive strength. Not all of us will understand where you come from with this. Some of us do appreciate your work sincerely.

Kind regards

Zanele

Dave;

OMG… This one hit home. Friday afternoon my son (17) with Bipolar was out with his friends, long story short one of his friends got into a fight with another boy, beat him and stole his phone, my son witnessed this and did not know what to do. I was at work when I get a call from someone that knows my son that the police are looking for him, my hear sank. I live in Floral Park, N.Y which is a very small tight community, We have our own private police department who is very aware that my son has Bioplar, But where this situation happened was in the next town, who is policed by Nassau county, who has no idea of my son. As a Mother of two childen, both with Bipolar, I can only live my life one day at a time. But with a teenager, it scares me to my core. Friday night my son went the the precent, give a statement, was hand cuffed, yelled at ect. A part of me wanted him to somewhat expieriance that, so it would shake him up a little bit when I tell him not to associate with certian kids, and all I get back is “what do you know about my friends” . At the same time I want to protect him. Well It did shake him up, he got mad at me, and went to his Grandmothers for the weekend. My Mom is very well known for spoiling and telling him whatever he want to hear. Oh God please help me. The weekend that I had was horriable thank you for letting me somewhat vent out. We need to figure out some how to get through to these kids that we know what we are talking about, we don’t talk to hear ourselves, I don’t need to hear myself speak……urrgggg.

Silhouette

Dave hi again.

I am very engrossed in the last few newletter that you sent me. I am pleased to let you know that the topics that you are addressing are compulsory.
Police, and bypolar violence, is very real, of course the lives who are destroyed and affected by this is horrendous.

This is a war on the mind, but wicked people has abuse thes people for their own advancement. The mental fraternity is not concerned with you and me, just the percentage of the cut from the pharmaceutical companies
the $ is now more valauble than human lives so having a
America hooked on drugs, and its legal too.

I grew up in a enviroment, where my mother was ill, now I know it was bypolar disorder. My father and My sibling live under the firing squad. and I spent my young years hiding knives, razors, hatchets and any other cutting instrument. That can injured and maimed us, even murder.

The violence was so profound, she went into episode after episode. and had to be secretely isolated for long
period of time. But I never knew why.

Today I know that the human heart cannot live without GOD. and embracing the power of forgivness, is the begining of the end. Man is desperately dieased and is seperated from GOD.

You must bring GOD into your ministry to the people, for their total healing and deiliverance.

As you are drawn closer to the human desperation. Fear of GOD is the only answer to all our problem, we need your answers, but keep in mind that the root to all problem, lies in our need to have new hearts

We all want love and acception, but our conscience is the greatest tormentor. You wil find that there is a open door,that has to be closed in our mind and spirits

bye dave
servant of GOD

Hey, I am bipolar and the police have been called on me twice. I am glad the person who called was NOT there. The first time was when they came and I and my friends knew something was wrong, BUT I had not been diagnosed with a mental illness. At that time a friend had told me if I did not sleep with her son she was going to call the police on me. I did not know about bipolar episodes at that time and had been trying to go to friends for help not knowing or understanding what was going on in my life. All at that time I knew was that I was not getting very much sleep and seemed to be staying awake for 6 or more months every single night. I felt I was not getting enough or much sleep. I realized that something was wrong; and I did not know or understand what was wrong with me. Now after reading, learning about bipolar through the mental health agencies by going to groups and individual therapy and reading everything I could that talked about bipolar, I realize I was in a clasical bipolar disorder episode. I went to the hospital by a policeman who had me handcuffed and had put me in a backseat of a police car sitting on my hands. I was REALLY angry at my friend who had called the cops. I am not angry now at her but I was for a long, long time.
The second time I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, because I had called my sister and told her that I was like a computer that was broken down. She came over and called the police and left. She left the scene. But she called the police who brought a whole bunch of police and an ambulance. Only one policeman came in and talked to me. I was willing to go with him originally, but he said something that DID not suit me, so I told him I had to get my shoes from my bedroom. And then I locked myself in there. Well he talked me into opening the door or he said he would break it down. And as I said I went to the hospital in an ambulance and the ambulance guy said if I wanted him to he would testify that I was sane when they took me away.
After that when I felt myself in an awkward situation I would go the hospital and get checked out. Except once I asked my boss for time off; and I took a week off from work and stayed home and rested and took my medicines. And after a week I felt good enough to go back to work. And now that is probably what I would like to do the next time. It has been about 8 years now since I have been in a mental hospital.

#5 I’d sue these idiots to the max. They apparently did not want to help. They just wanted to be macho. Now they have a very dangerous job and I’m grateful for the police. But a competent officer will determine the situation before using physical force. And a cop has NO right to grab another person who has not violated the law. I’d file assault charges against him. My wife is very bipolar and when she is manic she likes to drink and get loud. Now in all fairness the getting loud is partially because she is almost deaf in one ear from Meniere’s disease. One night when she was in this state at a friends apartment complex some one called the law on her. When the cops arrived her friend told them that she was bipolar and in an episode. The cop told her if she said one more word as she was trying to explain herself,he would arrest her. He then said something else to her and she said,”what”. Well she spent the next 7 days in jail. All he had to do was have medical personnel take her to the BMU at our local hospital. She has been there before to get stabilized. She was not a threat to anyone because she was in the passengers side of her friends car and her friend was going to give her a ride home, but she never made it. Her friend told me that she was not being violent. Is jail better than treatment? I’m totally disgusted with law enforcements lack of knowledge and with society’s lack of understanding about mental illness. At least Memphis,TN has a good start on their law enforcement becoming educated about mental illness .
Anyway, Dave you do a great service for us supporters. I’m not making excuses for people with bipolar disorder
and I’m not trying to trash the police. But,they often try to be too extreme. Remember, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

First to let Joan in Anapolis. You can call the Attorney General in your state of Maryland. Or call a Senator or Congressman or woman – like in my state of NC- Sue Myrick is trying to help the mentally ill. Ther is NO excuse for treating your family that way. Do not delay. Let them know you expect respect. We have had to call the police on our son. We live in a small town and the first time it was a disaster. If he “goes off” on me I will call each time. I stay with him [distancing myself] and explain while on the phone what he is doing. We make sure they take him to get assessed. We tried to commit him 7 or 8 times before someone finally helped us. By that time he had been in jail for a few months. Many phone calls and persistence is important. If the first person does not listen- go to the next. And call back to follow up. Do not assume anything. Also Do NOT give up. This country has a poor way of handling mental illness. Before the drug companies thought about $$$$ so much we had vitamin therapy. My sister took a certain regiment for 7 years and did fine. It is called Orthomolecular. They still use it in Canada and Australia. Even Europe is more open to this. Please check to make sure your loved one is not deficient or sleeping insufficiently.
As a nursing student in 1974 we used both techniques. Vitamin therapy can work on most people. It is important not to just “throw” medicine or vitamins at people. Please just check it out. It is like the Bible- do not take my word for it- go see the proof.

Read your article and i have one word to say ” WOW ” it is awesome and refreshing to see someone trying to get the information out there in a nonjudgemental way, my hat goes off to you! My mother was diagnosed with manic depresant when i was a child and i really thought it was like that in every household, needless to say i ended up in foster care system, and had babies of my own, not realizing it can be hereditary. My youngest daughter is bipolar to the extreme and i love her so very much. It is very frustrating to me that when people hear bipolar they assume “crazy, mental” she is now booted off the cheerleading squad that she has been on since elementary and it is due to ignorance of mental condition. I do not like to lable my daughter the best thing i ever did was get involved with NAMI national assosiation of mental illness to learn about the dieseae myself and learn ways to better deal with the ups and downs! I suggest anyone who is dealing with this to please seek help, you are not alone and believe it or not MANY people deal with this issue daily and you CAN MAKE IT! Educate yourself , your kids and you will be better equipt to handle things. I am a single mom, everyone rolls when it gets tough, not me i’ll always be here for my kids and my mom and it is not easy BUT WELL WORTH IT. Thanking god everyday for your site have a great day Kimberly

I am finding a lot people go through quite a bit of trouble with loved ones that have Bipolar.
I have just found that my wife might be Bipolar(she has all of the symptoms for type I except for insomnia she has hypersomnia).
My wife had an episode where I felt that I had no choice but to call the Police (she was assaulting me physically and verbally ) When the Police arrived they arrested me because she claimed that I assaulted her. Have to deal with all the court stuff, it is no big deal, but I am getting evicted because of my arrest is there anyone out there that has been in the same situation? If so how do you deal with someone having an episode and lying to have you arrested and them not remembering what they told the Police? How do you fight this? I love my wife but I also have two little girls that I need to take care of and can’t be homeless.

YOU WILL never HAVE A CLUE.
ALL you have done is study psych. PROPAGANDA!
Good thing I get your Propaganda reports. Saved me buying a WORTHLESS what is it over $300 course. How can one, whithout ANY experience in the matter be a SELF PROFESSED EXPERT? SAME AS PSYCHIATRISTS. THOUGH THEY KNOW THEY & THEIR “TREATMENTS” CAUSE THE DISPRDER.
BP IS A GIFT, JUST STAY AWAY OF PSYCHIATRY, WELL THEIR IS NO PSYCHIATRY, MERELY vILE tOXIC dIABOLICAL DRUGS.
WHICH THE PUSHER KNOWS “NOTHING ABOUT.”
GO BACK TO SLEEP FOOL!

Hi Dave, I belong to a group called NAMI(National Alliance on Mental Illness)which is located all over the U.S. but sadly so many reletives, parents, siblings, etc do not know about the support meetings available for them through this group. We advocate to spread the word that there is help in dealing with our loved ones that have a mental illness. I also help with the training of CIT officers(Crises Intervention Team). This also is a wonderful help to all. These CIT officers are trained to know how to treat the mentally ill when a crises begins in the home or on the streets. They are taught how to talk down and de-escolate a situation instead of it ending in shooting the mental perpetrator. This is a wonderful program, and many people do not know to ask for a CIT officer when faced with the need for the police. Also sad, because many times this may have prevented their loved ones being killed or thrown in jail instead of getting them to a hospital for evaluation. Maybe you could help spread the word to others. My husband and I who have a bipolar son, have found great peace of mind with attending these NAMI support meetings. These meetings are a must for anyone having to deal with a family member having any type of mental illness. We have learned how to deal with so much with trainning from the class “Family to Family” that is provided through NAMI. They have also formed meetings for the consumer(person with mentally illness) to attend for their support called “Connections”. People should check to see if there are any programs in their vicinity and get involved. What a difference it will make in their lives

I’ve been bipolar as long as I can remember but after my Dad’s death I became extremely Ill , suicidal and said and did things that were completely opposite of who I am . I was mouthy and verbally vulgar at times but never violent to anyone . As I became well on a combination of meds , cognitive therapy , yoga , prayer , vitamin B3 , omega 3s and an assortment of other vit. I was embarrassed and saddened that my Family had been thru ME , so I came out of the bipolar closet so to speak to explain to my Husband , Children and extended family , employer and community about my illness so that no one would feel any blame or confusion for my actions . That was 6 yrs. Ago , I was threatened with bodily harm and harassed daily at work by a number of key employees and the Gen. Manager ( specifically with being raped , having my face cut off and being left in the wilderness ) I had my Daughter pick me up at work early , had such a stress related attack later that evening went to the E.R by ambulance with what I thought was a heart attack , stayed all night on vicodin and could not stop crying or shaking . For the longest time everything that has gone awry on our country road had to be of my doing until another longtime neighbor came out of the closet about being Borderline Personality and admitted to a lot of mischief on our Rd. she is in therapy and on meds for many yrs. But does become unwell from time to time . Many people in my community do seem to be coming around and becoming more educated about ALL forms of mental illness , that is why I didn’t sue my employer , I would have had to sign a Gag order . During this period I too was hauled off to jail in leather shackles on my wrists , waist and ankles all of which was chained together and spent time in jail because the neighboor heard me yelling at my Husband about my flowerbed over the noise of his lawn tractor ( she is a young women on heavy meds for fibromyalgia but after all the scary rumors about me she freaked out and called the sheriffs department . We were stunned but because of my admitting to being bipolar I was taken in anyway , the district attorney and the judge I spoke with were angry this happened . Interesingly her husband died of a drug over dose two yrs. Later right after christmas . My Mother in law and sister in law ( husbands youngest bro.) finds every chance they can to make comments about those CRAZY BIPOLARS and then go’s into the details of the most gory off the wall stories they can come up with but I ignore them and pretend that I have swimmers ear and will even wear earplugs around persons who are particularly cruel . Some of my point is this that DO BE CAREFUL but if you can , help to inform others about this illness . I lost Family and both of my best friends of 25yrs . They didn’t want to be associated with such an embarrassment . My own Mother has almost disowned me as well , she has a severe form of OCD and my other point is this EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE has their own issues that is why those who are the most aggressive against anyone in a vulnerable state are not to be trusted with Any living thing . Thanks for this site P.S. I have a Wonderful Husband and kids but it does take communication , patients , forgineness and hard work by all parties .