Friday, April 20, 2007

THINK of the children.

**Spoiler at end.**

So maybe we return to a time when Tart talks about things going on within. I have been full of rage, which I’ve chosen not to go into, and I don’t feel that way right now.

Now, as I read one of my ‘older’ People magazines and discover an article about a 4 year-old girl who seems by all accounts ‘was killed by her parents with her own bipolar medication.’ Wow! You’re thinking how could a child be diagnosed with this at age 2 ½?

I know it’s rotten to live with a bipolar kid. I mean, I wonder how my parents did it. They were really attached to me apparently. They (‘medical community’) weren’t handing out that diagnosis like popcorn as they presently do. Yes, I had some rotten behavior which was diagnosed as hypoglycemia, of all things! Apparently, I wasn’t eating enough protein at the right times. I was bipolar, and there were no young bipolars at the time. Go figure. Now it’s the ‘diagnosis de jour.’ Every nasty kid under 12 is now bipolar.

Understand that I don’t believe that anything other than psychotropic medication could have saved my life at age 16. There’s nothing like a shot in the ass when you are flying in the stratosphere psychotic. Period. Did you hear me? I believe in the drugs. If I had structure and took the damn drugs right there wouldn’t have been a 2nd/3rd time age the tender age of 24.

Just as a complete aside, I am convinced that reason Mr. Hemingway shot himself just 2 years after receiving the highest prize in literature (the Pulitzer) was not necessarily because of a down (cause how much higher can you go now?). It was because psychotropic medication was not available any time during his life. Lithium was being discovered in the ‘50’s. Hemingway shot himself in 1966. This is pure conjecture and thinking on my part, but it makes damn good sense. The upshot is, if there’s medication that can help, even if it makes you fat, damn it, how can you whine and moan when you are one of the first few generations to have a chance to live!! If you don’t like it, kill yourself quietly and give others the chance to be. We ALL hate a whiner - try that crap in 'supportive environment' like a hospital and expect to get your ass whipped. Whipped! I'll come do it for you.

Concerning children, the psych community says structure before drugging. It’s dumb ass parents that’s giving drugging a bad name. I had to choose to take meds before I could vote, talk about taking some responsibility. What the hell is wrong with the one set of people that are supposed to advocate, stand up and take care of a kid? It’s another god damn category of child abuse to not make some structure for yourself and a child who desperately needs it. How do people live with themselves and their excuses? Oh, but they do and with plenty.

They say the thing that these kids need even more than drugs/medication is a really stable environment/structure. It’s easier for some people to drug them instead. Pill popping vs. the work – you make the call. Especially when there is no national program to create structure for kids and nobody’s educating parents either on how the heck to do such a thing.

Basically, there’s a lot of adults that can’t even create structure for themselves, how can you possibly expect them to do it for the pint size people in their lives, that they may not have even invited in.

It’s kind of like taking your doggie to Petsmart classes; a lot of ‘pet parents’ don’t realize it’s them that is being educated the most. Except for a vet suggesting it’s a good thing, people would say why bother. You can bet it’s a thousand fold on the thought of why bother when its pesky kids. Really. Sad but true.

I’m going to say it. Some people shouldn’t be parents. They shouldn’t have the biggest responsibility in the world. Sadly, it’s very obvious this country is not supportive of moms, dads, or children for that matter. If it gets in the way of someone’s porn someone’s going to say ‘Shut up and get out of the way of my porn. Who cares about your brats?’ It’s an uphill battle, to be sure. Our legal system is about individual rights not about creating a place for people to raise families. That’s all on the parent too. I feel for you. You better THINK ABOUT WHAT YER GETTING INTO when you create that 20 year responsibility.

But again, that doesn’t make it okay for people to act ignorant and drug their kids into oblivion because they can’t figure out what to do. Perform the hard work. Do it. Or we should have a national program to give up our kids and have someone sane provide the structure. Oh, I forgot, that’s the mental health system (I got tons of structure in there), or a dump yer kids off entirely system (adoption). But don’t be tryin’ to perform that recently spanked Supreme Court no no, the abortion, or at least do it in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, so it don’t get messy. Again, that’s getting’ in the way of someone’s porn – could you Please Keep It Down!!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree people are to happy popping a pill instead of doing some actual work with there children.. it is so sad because the children are the ones getting hurt!!

Radin said...

I agree:
1- Some people should not be parents.
2- Drugs are needed at some stages
But I think there is more to it. Nowadays doctors have some predetermined labels to stick to people with problems. Mind problems seam to have very similar outward symptoms. To start with it is OK to prescribe high doses and various drugs as an emergency step. But at the same time it is their responsibility to deal with the patient as an individual case. You do not continue the same medications and things like shocks after an emergency case of heart failure. The patient must not be stranded and pinned down by drugs. I have been bipolar for many years and have suffered both from the illness and the side effects.

'Tart said...

I've had bipolar all my life and I don't feel 'pinned down or stranded' by my medication. As a matter of fact, I would feel stranded if something weren't available for me.

Not sure what 'form' of bipolar you have, but you are kidding yourself if you think meds aren't for everyday living -not just 'emergencies.' You'll find yourself having a LOT LESS emergencies if you'd just take your damn pills.

If you're walking around with a diagnosis or ever been in hospitalization hell you have 2 choices as I see it: accept that you have an illness and be responsible and take your meds or keep kidding yourself that yoga or some other thing is the 'responsible' way.

Taking care of yourself is the responsible way to deal with bipolar and if your doc says only exercise and vitamins or whatever 'responsible' behavior you are suggesting is what you need - you've been misdiagnosed.

That's for adults. For kids, its clearly stated structure and working with them is more desirable than pills. It's like working with a dog - if you want your dog to sit, stay or roll over your better off teaching them that, rather than drugging them up.

Again, if you'd been thru the shit I have, you'd want to do anything to keep it from happening again. And you'd like a little quality of life along the way. That means pills EVERY DAY, friend, not when the nursey is bringing it to you in a cup. Again love to have yer life or you are not even on my diagnosed planet.

'Tart said...

Upon further reflection, I challenge if indeed you are bipolar.

The thought that medications are only suitable in an emergency setting is very bizarre coming from a true bipolar. Yeah, if you fracture your arm, better stop those pain pills. On the other hand, I have family treated for other things than bipolar or fractures and end up on long term meds. Heart problems: meds. Diabetes: meds. For life.

Not getting this 'needed at some stages' thing. Unless you're 12 and have only gone to ER for fractures.

There may be something to that 'pre-determined label' thing. I assure you there was no label for me, except extreme confusion thinking I had taken a shitload of drugs. Imagine their (the ER staff and police) chagrin and utter disbelief that there were NO DRUGS in me not even after 2 of those fun charcoal drinks. Get off my site kids.

Radin said...

I am a bipolar my friend. If you go through my blog you will see what I have been through. And I have been hospitalized in my twenties for seven months. Bipolar disorder has been in our family before. My mother also suffered. At forty I was again hospitalized for a month and that is when I started my blog. I have kept a regular mood chart ever since. I have experienced deep desperation and suicidal thoughts as well as very high mania..
It seams that you got me wrong on my opinion about meds. I am not against medication and I am defiantly not for meds free treatment.
What I am against is taking refuge in meds and do nothing. As individuals we have our ups and downs and not every one of them is because of our disorder. Normal people have similar experiences in their lives. Being 100% dependent on meds is the same as being addicted. Drug addicts use higher and stronger drugs in their way to get high and at some point they just use drugs to be normal. Meds in low dosage and in reasonable timing only helps you deal with your problem and help yourself.
In case of mania the high feeling can be put to use as a creative engine. You can read about it in some very professional researches done even by those doctors who have themselves the same problems as you do.
The disorder has not gone away but I have learnt how to deal with it and how to function normally both at work and my family and in the society in general. This has been achieved by practical means rather than strong meds. I have learnt not to give in on feelings because in any situation , down inside I know what it is all about.
A drug addict when giving up drugs has to go through some rough times because he has to reduce his drug dosage. For every positive feeling we experience through meds there is sure to be an opposite (with equal weight and in opposite direction) of negative feelings to follow. I recommend you read “The paradox of pleasure and relativity; the psychological causal law.” By D.G. Garan.
You are free to choose: sitting back and do nothing but take the meds and increase the dose and its variations or use the meds as an aid and do the rest yourself building on your abilities and knowledge.
I am not trying to show off or bring up a revolutionary idea based on my dreams. I have something I feel responsible to share with others who have the same problem. Something that has worked for two years in real life.

Radin said...

Study Sheds Light on Medication Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder
(NIMH)
by NIMH
Updated: Apr 2nd 2007


For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results are part of the large-scale, multi-site Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), a $26.8 million clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

'Tart said...

Maybe I should speak more plainly: A)You are full of crap. B)I'm not coming to your blog and I invite others to do continue not doing the same. Somehow, you came to mine and are leaving crap on it. You can desist any time now.

The key to knowing that you are full of crap is this statement of yours 'learn to use the mania.' My mania goes right up into psychosis. It is to be avoided at all costs. I don't know what you 'riders of the mania' are into except playing with fire I assure you. You don't show any understanding of hypomania either, which they tell me is a bipolar II thing. I don't know who your pretending to be today so again, crap, crap, crap.

Who the hell are you to tell me I'm uping my drugs or acting as if you even know what I'm on? You're wrong in both cases, as I've been on the same shit, same dosage for over 10 years. No antidepressants. But now I think you are milking me for knowledge because you don't know where your ass is from the pie whole that you ought to keep shut.

If you come back faker, I'm banning you.

Raine said...

the difference here could be the difference in mania and hypomania. Tart gets psychotic- she absolutely has to have her medications and you should not presume to judge her Radin. What is working for you will not work for her and she is doing what she has to do to live her life the best way she can. That is not for you to judge. Perhaps you only get hypomania as I do and this works for you. There IS a difference. Both are bi-polar. Bi-polar one and Bi-polar two. I have no meds that work for me. I take the little bit I have that help just a little. Nothing helps enough to get me back work. I do not get psychotic, Im bi-polar two. Yet I still cannot function the way I used to. Do I want to? YES!!! Can I? no. Radin if you are lucky enough to have been able to function in spite of your illness be greatful and be kind to those who cannot. Please. I personally have learned to live with it and deal with it the best I can but if a drug came available that made it go away I would be on like white on rice. Each of us is different in the severity of our symptoms and many other things. We should not be judging each other but supporting each other. It is wrong to presume we are all going to be alike in every way and that each of is going to need exactly the same thing or respond in exactly the same way. There are a fewbi-polars that are lucky enough to be able to function without meds. They should be extremely greatful for that and they should also be kind to those who cannot. There are bi-polars who are disabled by their illness and who have to have meds in order to have any quality of life at all. They should be treated with the same respect and courtesy as every one else in this world. In other words kids - BE NICE TO EACH OTHER- WERE IN THIS TOGETHER

Radin said...

i am very sorry if I caused any hard feelings tart. raine is right.
I had no intention in challenging you personally. I am sorry. And you have the right to ban me if you like. I won’t bother you no more.