Shocking Truth About Bipolar Disorder
Published: Tue, 07/06/10
Hi ,
How's it going?
Hope you are doing well.
There was a news story that I was
following the other day.
It said that in the city of San Diego,
California, some shops were posting
stickers in their windows that read "Don't
Feed Our Bums."
The news report was asking for opinions
on whether this was cruel or a good way
to handle a legitimate concern.
They got many answers that went both
ways.
One in particular struck me:
A man saying that no one should ever
help homeless people because one of them
threw rocks at him.
I've seen people who weren't homeless
act just as cruel.
Does that mean that every homeless
person is that way?
Of course not!
There was another comment that was
left that astounded me, also, but not in a
bad way this time.
A woman was talking about how she had
become homeless because of a series of
events that she couldn't control.
She mentioned that she had never
pan-handled the entire time she was
homeless.
Instead, she stayed in shelters where she
worked to earn her stay and food.
She went to school while she was
homeless, and eventually got a job and
managed to get a place of her own again.
But she made a very valid point:
Not everyone who is homeless is there
because they want to be, or because it
is their fault.
Here's another point for you to consider:
Many people who are homeless are so
because of unmanaged mental illnesses,
such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Now, many of you have probably heard
that many people with schizophrenia
become homeless, but did you know the
same is true with bipolar?
I knew a girl once who repetitively became
homeless for short periods of time,
mostly because her mood swings made
it impossible for her to stay in one place
for very long.
Not to mention she would burn bridges
to relationships that could have helped her.
She had bipolar disorder, and, for at least
one period of time, ended up in a
homeless shelter.
To this day, she still does not live on her
own, but by following her treatment plan
and learning new skills and strategies
for coping, she now makes a much better
roommate than she ever did before.
Usually when a person who has bipolar
disorder becomes homeless, they were
not on their medications.
Or maybe they were taking their
medications, but not reporting to their
psychiatrist that the medications weren't
working for them.
Sometimes it happens because of money.
When manic, they might spend everything
that they had for rent, and next thing you
know, they've been evicted.
Sometimes it happens because of
relationship problems.
This is especially true in roommate
situations, or when living with family.
How many times does a person who has
bipolar disorder - and is not following
their treatment plan - mess up their
relationships?
Sometimes it is fixable, sometimes not.
Sometimes it is enough that if the person
was providing them housing, they decide
that they can no longer do so for them.
Can you see how any of these different
factors could lead to homelessness?
So yes, I would say that those stickers,
and any attitude towards the homeless
that is all-inclusive, is cruel.
Not all homeless people act the same way,
and it's a shame if a select few ruin it
for the rest of them.
It is a personal choice if someone chooses
to help them, and on what level.
But at the very least, we need to
understand that our loved ones could
easily be there.
Doesn't that make you want to go give
them a hug and be glad that they're not?
What are your thoughts on this?
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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