(2-12-19) Gabe Howard, a contributor to my blog and someone living with mental illnesses whom I admire, has published a collection of his thoughts and writings in a new book entitled: Mental Illness Is An Asshole And Other Observations. 

In two to three page essays he writes about such everyday topics as “How To Handle A Teen’s Dramatic or Manipulative Suicide Threat,” “My Mom Doesn’t Understand What It’s Like To Be Openly Bipolar,” “Integrity in the Face of Adversity,” “How do I Make My family Understand Depression?” and “Why My Spouse Doesn’t Resent Me For Having Bipolar.”

Gabe’s knowledge comes from his lived experiences, which he shares with a wonderful blend of seriousness, humor, poignancy and insights. While everyone is unique, Gabe’s book helped me better understand my own son and others living with mental illnesses, and I am grateful for that.

Gabe was kind enough to allow me to reprint his essay:

The Benefits of Bipolar Disorder by Gabe Howard 

I am often asked, both in person and online, about the benefits of bipolar disorder.

This isn’t an ignorant question. The media is filled with examples of mental illness making people better detectives, artists or creating other ‘super powers.’ The people who ask this question are varied, as well. Family and friends, the inquiring public, and even people living with bipolar disorder all want to know the upsides of this illness.

And it’s a very easy question to answer:

There aren’t any.

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Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring dropped the ball in handling of inmate’s horrific death

(Thank you for your support. My blog reached an average of 191,000 readers nationally last month.)

(2-4-19) Richmond Virginia attorney Mark J. Krudys has accomplished what local, state and federal officials declined to do.

He has made the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, its former in-house health care provider, and the state accountable for the horrific death of Jamycheal Mitchell, the 24-year-old Virginian who suffered a heart attack in 2015 after being starved while waiting 101 days in jail to be sent to a state mental hospital. Mitchell had a serious mental illness and was jailed after allegedly stealing $5.05 of snacks from a convenience store.

Krudys agreed to settle the wrongful death suit that he’d filed on behalf of the Mitchell family for $3 million. None of those involved admitted wrongdoing but the size of the settlement in conservative Virginia speaks volumes.

Sadly,  two prominent Virginia politicians have escaped unscathed.

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who reportedly is considering a run for president, and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who is running for governor in 2021, should be publicly pillared.

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(1-30-19) Great news for residents of Fairfax, Virginia, where I live. We are well on our way to getting an authorized mental health docket and our local adult jail has started an innovative alcohol/drug treatment program to help inmates kick their habits.

Fairfax District Court Judge Tina Snee announced during a community meeting that 160 cases had been heard since August 2018 in a speciality docket that is being used as a pilot program pending Virginia State Supreme Court approval of a  mental health docket. Judge Snee said she hopes that approval will enable a de facto mental health court to begin reviewing cases in April 2019. (You can’t call them courts in Virginia, only dockets.)

The pilot has helped Judge Snee test what works and what needs improvement. Casey Lingan, the chief deputy Commonwealth Attorney (prosecutor) assigned to the docket, said that holding hearings on Friday afternoons was problematic because many of the mental health and housing services that defendants might need can’t process the court’s orders late on a Friday, leaving defendants without much needed help over weekends. He suggested moving the hearings to Wednesday mornings.  Marissa Farina-Morse, the Community Services Board rep  (CSB’s provide mental health services in Virginia), said she obtained a cell phone to a defendant after he complained about not being able to reach court officials, to whom, he was supposed to report or speak to case managers responsible for helping him. She was surprised at how useful that cell phone proved to be. Dawn Butorac, the chief public defender, commented about how useful peers had proven to be in helping defendants transition from court into treatment.

None of these observations will surprise those of you who live in localities that have been operating mental health courts for years. But these practical discoveries in Fairfax will certainly help make a docket successful. Such talk reminded me of how communities had to find ways for the police to drop off individuals at mental health centers as quickly or faster than they could at a jail – otherwise officers took the easier route. I remember Fountain House President Kenneth J. Dudek telling me months ago how issuing cell phones to clients helped them better manage their recovery.  At first, everyone assumed those cell phones would get lost or sold/traded/pawned for drugs and alcohol. But that simply didn’t happen. Instead, case managers were able to keep in better touch with their clients, clients could make appointments, and most importantly, families could communicate with their loved one.
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(1-28-19) Inspiring stories of recovery offer others hope.

I was delighted to be Jennifer Marshall’s guest last week when she was named one of ten Washingtonians of the Year.

Jennifer is the driving force behind the non-profit This Is My Brave, which gives persons with mental illnesses a platform for sharing their poignant stories of recovery. Jennifer and my son, Kevin, first met when both of them were in group therapy and, as regular readers of this blog know, I frequently cite Jennifer as an example of how one determined individual can have a huge impact for good.

This is another big week for This Is My Brave.

This Thursday, January 31st, the non-profit will be previewing a mini-documentary in the Washington D.C. area about its mission.

Kevin and I will be there so be certain to attend and say hello if you live in the DMV.

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(1-25-19)

Dear Pete,

Just letting my emotions get the best of me.

 Last Saturday afternoon I received a phone call from a distressed mother.  I have known her for almost 20 years.  She has a son who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  He has been committed to a state hospital six times because of his illness.  He also has participated in a study at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on medication management. He also was sent to Stanford University for a trial with an experimental medication. 

There is no question he suffers from a major mental illness. The problem is that he stops taking his medication after he is discharged from the hospital.

 He lives in a different city than his parents. Every Saturday his parents drive to his apartment from their home to buy him food and give him some spending money.  He is on SSDI due to his mental disability.  When the parents arrived last Saturday, they found the food and money from the previous week were still on his kitchen table. 

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