My interest in football waxes and wanes according to the fate of my home team, the Eagles. (Go E-A-G-L-E-S!) Unfortunately, this often means I swing between hope and despair, the worst scenario possible for a person with bipolar disorder.

But there's someone who struggles with this a lot more than I do: Nathan Vasher's mom, Monica. (Nate plays for the Chicago Bears.) Thanks so much to Joe S. for sending me the link to this ESPN.com cover story about Monica's battle with bipolar disorder, and her family's dedication to her. Despite her problems, she must be one hell of a lady to have so much love in her life.

The piece by Gene Wojciechowski is so lovely and respectful, I think we should all send Wojciechowski emails of thanks for treating this story with such empathy, and for telling the story at all. His email address is at the bottom of the article.

Vasher's mom has to prepare for Super Bowl too

Posted by liz at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jail not right for people with mental illness

Posted by liz at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm decidedly pro-choice, as many PW readers know. But I'm interested in this question of mental health issues for women who get abortions. LifeNews.com's editor Steven Ertelt released an article saying that Planned Parenthood is misleading women by telling them that for most, abortion doesn't affect them negatively. The pro-life movement, naturally, says women are emotionally scarred for years.

My experience and the experience of my friends shows that abortion needn't be traumatizing. I thought I'd have emotional problems as a result, but I didn't. My friends didn't either. But the article linked below suggests otherwise. In fact, a researcher featured in the piece says, "Our study is strongly suggestive of a link between abortion and developing mental illness." Sounds like total hogwash to me, but I'm willing to hear otherwise.

Planned Parenthood Misleads Women on Abortion's Mental Health Risks

[Image from DHD Multimedia Gallery]

Posted by liz at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

In the U.S. Jade Goody isn't exactly a household name. But in the U.K. she's widely despised. A cast member on Celebrity Big Brother, Goody was crass, rude and mean, and now, according to a source at Fametastic, she's depressed. The website also says:

A source told the Sun: “Jade has struggled since leaving the house a week ago and learning that she has become the most hated figure in Britain.”

She's been admitted to a mental hospital, where it's said she's suffering a complete breakdown. Goody bullied her South Asian castmate in what some said were racially motivated incidents. Because she was on the program, she didn't know how the outside world was perceiving her.

Goody has made £8 million from her many reality TV appearances. She wrote a memoir and even has her own perfume, among other projects.

Posted by liz at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Again, in two parts:

1. I read a People magazine article about Tyra Banks gaining weight.
2. In it, she refers to a "muffin top"—which occurs when your pants are too tight and your fat bulges over the waistline. (Something many people know about, it seems.)

Never again will I be able to look at a muffin without thinking of that.

Posted by liz at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Contrary to the glowing media reports of almost magical properties, an FDA advisory panel has essentially concluded that TMS doesn't work. Better said, the NeuroStar machine made by Neuronetics failed to impress them. The two most revealing quotes from a WebMD article:

Perhaps a reasonable person could question whether there has been an effect at all," says Thomas G. Brott, a neurologist from Mayo Medical School in Jacksonville, Fla., and the advisory panel's chairman.

AND

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D., president of the National Research Center for Women and Families, told the panel the company's studies did not show the device could help patients. "It's not a statistically significant difference, and it's not a meaningful difference," says Zuckerman, a clinical psychologist and epidemiologist. "Yes, it is safer than ECT, but it doesn't appear to actually work."

Device For Depression Criticized

Posted by liz at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I can't breathe. I'm in shock. A hospital has admitted a mistake. I love them! Of course it was in Vermont, where people are a bit more humane anyway. (They wouldn't wear Birkenstocks if they weren't.)

Benjamin R. Petrie III hanged himself on Jan. 21 at Fletcher Allen Healthcare center (pictured). From Vermont's WCAX TV News:

Last week, hospital psychiatry chief Robert Pierattini said workers in the psychiatric unit failed to check on the person who committed suicide at prescribed 15-minute intervals. No one checked on him for an hour, and when they did he was found dead, he said.

Imagine how different the world would be if hospitals admitted their mistakes. Then other hospitals could learn from them, and do things differently, and bad things would happen less frequently. Maybe that sounds idealistic and naive, but I can't help thinking that it'll be a long time before the staff at Fletcher lets that happen again.

Posted by liz at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I just saw a news brief about yet another suicide bombing in Israel. And I thought I should try again to email my Israeli friend Irit to see if she's okay. But I've tried doing that for more than a year now—maybe two, actually—and I never get a response. I've started to try to reconcile myself to the fact that she might be dead, but still, every time I see something about a new bombing, I try to find a list of names to see if she's on it.

The situation in Israel is so tragic. I can't believe I've gotten to the point where I wonder regularly if a friend of mine is alive. It's terrible.

Posted by liz at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, no, it's not my grandfather. But the name "Nathan Kline" does strike me as particularly Jewish-oldster. The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research has just been awarded a million-ish dollar grant to study schizophrenia and violence. Should be interesting.

Posted by liz at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today I'm home and have been unable to rouse myself until now. It snowed a lot last night, and the streets and cars are covered. Generally, I love snow so staying abed can't be directly related to that. On the other hand, I do get more lethargic and depressed in cold, difficult weather.

When I tell people that, they always ask if I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. I tend to say no. To me, it just makes sense that my depression gets a bit worse when it's dark and cold and forbidding outside. I don't feel the need to saddle myself with another diagnosis code just because of a change that seems very natural to me. I think the bipolar gets worse, not that I develop another illness.

Now researchers at University of Rochester are trying to classify SAD as a subtype of major depression. Noting that the syndrome is underdiagnosed, they want to make the change so that more physicians will be on the lookout for it—and more likely to address it with light therapy.

I think instead of sitting here with a big light on my desk, I'm going to take a walk in the sun and snow. That'll probably do me some good.

[Photo by aricee via Flickr]

Posted by liz at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

TTWS reader Kent sent in this comment in response to my sadness about leaving my job:

It must be like leaving your family - working there has been such a part of your life for so long. I feel sad for your leaving, too, and it doesn't even effect me directly. I guess you have good reasons for taking the new job, though - I wish you luck.

May the road rise to meet you. - May the wind be always at your back. - May the sun shine warm upon your face.

[Painting by Vincent Amicosante]

Posted by liz at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"My brother has ADD, which is weird because he drives a Ford Focus."

Rimshot!

Posted by liz at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now this is some serious Funday shit:

New Dopamine Brain Target Discovered

Posted by liz at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my last day at my office. I've been here for 8 years, basically, and I'm feeling pretty sad about leaving. The people at this place have been so great to work with ... well, I won't get all maudlin on the blog. I'm trying to get rid of stuff so my co-worker Kate can move into my office. She's a neat person, so I'm trying to throw out the weird crap I bought at the dollar store but never used, including a pair of teeny shoes for a little girl to wear with a princess outfit. Don't ask.

So I know it's a Funday, but I'm feeling a bit woozy. Just wanted to share.

Posted by liz at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Oh my God. It's so frigid cold today that as soon as I left my house, my lungs began to contract and spasm. Naturally, I didn't have my inhaler with me, and I knew if I walked back home, I wouldn't make it without having a major asthma attack. So I stood waiting for the bus with my hand against my mouth, trying to breathe through my nose, which did help a bit. When I came out of the train station, I walked very slowly up the stairs, trying to keep everything from falling apart, breathing-wise.

Funny thing is, when I have an asthmatic moment like that, I always get terrified. Not being able to breathe is such a paralyzing experience. Every single time I think, "I'm going to die." And every single time I think, "I don't want to die like this. I have to organize my papers first." Seriously.

[Confidential to Jess S.: Stay home today, girl. It's horrible out there.]

Posted by liz at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PW Senior A&E editor Kate Kilpatrick just sent me a story from AllHipHop.com, a site she visits regularly (because she's cool) and I visit rarely (because I'm not). The story is about turntable prodigy/hip-hop producer Disco D, aka David Shayman, who killed himself a couple days ago at the age of 27.

He was recently diagnosed as bipolar disorder, the article says. His list of accomplishments in his short life was so incredible. So much success at such a young age ... he was just amazing.

First he was a successful DJ on the Detroit/Ann Arbor club scene. He produced 50 Cent's "The Ski Mask Way," Nina Sky's "Turnin' Me On" and Kevin Federline's single "Papazao." And says, AllHipHop, he also "wrote music for commercials (Best Buy, Sprite) and awards shows (VH1's Hip Hop Honors, Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards). He had recently launched a Brazilian urban label called Gringo Louco which counted rap group Braza as artists on the label."

He was also finalizing negotiations for a track on Chamillionaire's upcoming new CD. Details featured an article about him in 1998, predicting great things. He fulfilled that promise, and more.

DJ Strong is quoted in the AllHipHop article: "I can't believe this has happened to such a high-energy forward moving person. He had so much to look to in the future."

Disco D's death is another reminder of the unknowability of other people's pain. He must have been hiding so much, and struggling so hard. David, I hope wherever you are, you feel some relief. You will be dearly missed, but you left your mark. You will always be remembered.

Upcoming Producer Disco D Commits Suicide, Friends React

URB obit

Services for David Shayman tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard Road in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Posted by liz at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Until he starts talking about the Mummers, I think journalist Steve Lopez is right on. (Introduced by the quintessential Philly cool cat, the Geator.)

Posted by liz at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

People are started to get very excited about magnetic stimulation, and that's understandable. Any new treatment brings with it heaping dollops of hope and an almost frenzied desire to try the new thing. Illness makes you desperate; the notion that something as seemingly benign as a magnet on your head could cure you is seductive in the extreme.

You can hear the electricity being rat-a-tat tat-ed into a woman's brain on this NPR segment. Given my negative experience with ECT, there's absolutely no way I'd go near this treatment right now. But it's interesting to hear stories like this. Let's just be prudent and deliberate in our consideration.

Magnetic Pulse Treatment Targets Depression

Posted by liz at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I have a policeman friend who was blunt with me when I asked if we were getting the car back: "It's gone. That thing is gone."

So we bought a new car, though it's not a done deal quite yet. This is what it looks like. If anyone out there needs help moving, you now know who to call. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't say that. Oh, well. It's all a part of making sure my life has meaning. I can move your boxes of crap!

Posted by liz at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

They're doing some kind of experiment in this psychology class. Now that's what I call a dizzy blonde. Ba-dum-bum.

Posted by liz at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My car got stolen a week ago. I miss it. It was the perfect car. This is a photo of one that looks like it, along with the last known photo of the actual car (Vince is leaning on it). I just wanted to share.

*Sob!*

Posted by liz at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I just read an article by D. Paul Reilley in the Nassau Guardian, which is a newspaper in the Bahamas (pictured). I find the piece fascinating for two reasons:

1) The author uses the word "whilst." I think whilst isn't used often enough. Lest, too, should be used more often. D. Paul Reilley knows this.
2) Reilley asserts people can get over depression on their own, through force of will. I don't generally present these arguments, but I thought it would be interesting to hear from an island nation.

Depression is anger turned Inside

Posted by liz at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amy Winehouse is a talented young woman, as you can see. I learned about her from PW's editor, Tim Whitaker. This song of hers is torturing me. I can't stop singing it. Jewtastic.com salutes Winehouse for scoring big at the Brit Awards (along with countryman/fellow Jew Sacha Baron Cohen). And I do, too. Good for you, bubela! (The English singer started her career in a group she characterized as a "white, Jewish Salt ’n’ Pepa." Sweet.)

But Winehouse has serious issues, and I'm not sure she's addressing them. She was diagnosed with manic-depression, but won't take meds. And despite being a problem drinker and despite the insane behavior her drinking causes her to indulge in, she won't ... well ... go to rehab. She's trying to manage her alcoholism on her own, she says, because she doesn't believe in getting help.

In October she punched a fan and then apologized for being a nasty drunk. Just a few days ago, after bailing on a concert because she was drunk and ran off the stage to vomit (and then didn't come back), Winehouse said she was undergoing her own personal detox. Unfortunately, she's chosen Kelly Osbourne as her protector, which seems an odd choice.

Additionally, she's struggled with anorexia and bulimia, as you can see from the photo after the jump.

Here's what I have to say to Amy: Girl, you drink too much and you love getting tattoos. That would be enough to get you excommunicated by our stricter rabbinic bretheren. But refusing to see a shrink? You might as well eat a pig on a spit with an apple in its mouth! Hand in that mezuzah!

(And seriously, get some help. There's no shame in it. Just ask a blogger!)

Posted by liz at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In response to today's earlier post about Mandy Moore, an astute TTWS reader named Barbie writes the following:

It is not heartening to know that Mandy is depressed. I find this to be an (albeit possible slim attempt at humor) insult to Mandy and many other women who may fall into a leggy blonde category. Or brunette, or redhead, etc. This is a subtle form of discrimination. Try going blonde for a week and see how it goes.

I have had friends like this...people who see the image and not the person. It sucks. So does depression. I dare add, that at times the discrimination based on looks caused my own depression. Discrimination and judgment really took off when the blonde cheerleader gained weight. Oh there are one's reveling in that thought. Barbie de-throned and diagnosed with a mental illness. All of the insecure gals cheer. Thank God, the blonde bimbo feels like I do.

Maybe she already did.

[I used another photo of Mandy here—one where she looks happy and glowy. Sorry for my small-minded vision of her, Barbie.]

Posted by liz at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Granted, this song by Leeroy Stagger—is that his real name? Who names their kid Leeroy?—isn't really about depression. Well, it's about Depression, but not the kind of depression we love around here. Nonetheless, I like the song, even if it does sound like Lynard Skynard had a baby with the Allman Brothers and named him ... Leeroy.

This is a good shot of Stagger (that sounds like a drink, right? "Barkeep, I'll have a shot of Stagger"). I like the photo because he's wearing a Who T-shirt in it, and I love the Who.

Depression River mp3

Posted by liz at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In two parts:

1) The list of nominees was announced for the Academy Awards, and even though I know they're dumb and Hollywood's dumb and it's all a meaningless mockery of true meaning, I can't wait to watch.

2) And if Martin Scorsese (pictured), my favorite filmmaker, doesn't finally win best director (for The Departed, which I loved beyond all reason), I will cry salty tears. Actually, if he does win I'll probably cry too.

Posted by liz at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Isn't it heartening to know that even beautiful people get depressed? I take comfort in the thought that pretty Mandy Moore—tall (5'9), with flat abs and soft blond hair—is finding life unappealing. Sorry, Mandy, but I can't help it.

Moore surprised by depression problem

Posted by liz at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pfizer to lay off 10,000 workers

Posted by liz at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by liz at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harry Sanney Sr. has been arrested again for a crime relating to a child. This time he's been accused of molestation. He was 22 in 1969 when a child named (poignantly, I think) Peanut Reynolds was killed, allegedly by Sanney. He was ordered to undergo psych treatment in Attica, but he only served five years for Peanut's assault. He was arrested again in 1989 and 1990.

In his signed confession for the most recent crime, he said, "I know I have a disease that makes me do these things and I did not want it to happen again."

Mental Health Could be Issue in Child Molestation Case

Posted by liz at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Must ... milk ... drug ... for ... every ... possible ... indication ...

This is what I picture a Wyeth exec saying with his last dying breath. The pharma company has remixed Effexor XR like the best DJ in the best club in the world, and it's slated to be approved for depression and hot flashes on Monday. (Interestingly, I didn't have hot flashes till I started taking Effexor, but that's another matter.)

Pristiq is the name of the new drug. It sounds like a synonym for the male manhood, to put it in romance-novel terms. But you have to sympathize with Wyeth a bit. First of all, what name is left? Secondly, in 2010 the company will be seriously challenged by generics, so they have to find a way to stop the loss of blood. By 2011, I guarantee you, your shrink will start hyping Pristiq as a replacement for your Effexor. Remember me then, and smile.

Wyeth depression/hot flash drug faces hurdles

Posted by liz at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I was living in some sort of communal house, and I got a roommate named Harley. She looked just like Elizabeth Berkley circa Showgirls, but I don't recall her getting naked in the dream. (Can't have everything.) We didn't get along that well because I was too messy and she had a smaller desk than me. She moved her laptop out to my desk and took my spot and I got upset but was too afraid to confront her. Finally we had a good talk and cleared the air. Then we went off together to see a movie.

Later in the dream, I heard that there had been a police shooting of 69 unarmed African-American men outside a movie theater in North Philadelphia. The cops were trying to justify the mass killing. I was appalled. I tried to talk to Harley about it, but she wasn't interested.

We ran into an old flame of mine, who in real life was the object of my unrequited affections from eighth grade until just a couple years ago. In the dream he was an acupuncturist and said he wanted to help me loosen up by putting needles into me. I thought, "Finally, maybe we'll have sex." (I can't believe I still dream about him so often. It's ridiculous to have a crush for more than 20 years. He and I are friendly, and he hates when I talk about this stuff. But I can't help it! I've asked him so many times if he's gay. I simply refuse to believe he's not attracted to me. He assures me he's straight. It's a mystery.)

Harley and I hung out for the rest of day with all my friends. She was kind of dorky, despite being a sexy stripper type, so she was grateful that she had new friends. We were all headed for rehearsal for a dance show. I was trying to find the sheet music for the theme to The Young and the Restless. I wanted to play it on the piano for the show.

Posted by liz at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Help available to individuals, family members affected by mental illness

Mental health charity launches anti-stigma campaign in Northern Ireland

Pets boost mental health

Posted by liz at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hace mucho tiempo—demasiado—que no he blogeado en espanol. Y hoy tenemos Funday noticias de Italia, que en teoria no tiene nada que ver con Espana, pero what the heck?

Es verdad, no hablo mucho italiano, aunque mi novio lo habla perfectamente, y el tiene la mala suerte de ser la persona que tiene que ensenarme. Vamos a ver si puedo escribir un poco en italiano.

Io voglio parlare italiano perque io parlo ... um ... io voglio mangare molto pasta e ... io sonno inteligente e bella ... ja ja

Ay, dios. Terrible. Mientras que estudio mas, ustedes pueden leer esta entrevista sobre el futbol como terapia en Italia. Ciao!

Prescription Soccer

Posted by liz at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My college professors were never this exciting.

Posted by liz at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a brief but hopeful article about turning PPD around, which is good, says writer Lawson Wulson, because it's been shown that depression in a new mother can have serious maladjustive impact on the newborn. From Wulson's article:

A persuasive study published by a group at Brown University showed that preventive counseling reduced the risk of postpartum depression from 20 percent to 4 percent within three months of delivery. Other studies have shown similar benefits.

Rockin'.

[Photo from MyMiracleBaby.com.]

Posted by liz at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by liz at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The New York Times says it's possible the pro footballer suffered brain damage, which is why he fell into a depression.

Expert Ties Ex-Player’s Suicide to Brain Damage

Posted by liz at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As some of you may have heard, I'm taking a new job in February. I'll be leaving my full-time editing position at Philadelphia Weekly, where I've been for almost eight years, to become the communications manager at the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

How does this affect you? Not at all, really. I'll still be doing the column for the paper, still doing the blog, still doing videos. I suspect the blog will have an added focus on criminal justice issues, but its mission will remain the same.

In the next few months, however, I'll be grappling with an enormously difficult transition—one that keeps me awake at night, which explains the late start I've been getting here. The only time I've been sane has been when I've worked at the paper, so I have this worry that I'll lose my marbles as soon as I walk out the door. I think it might be instructive for me to talk about the transition as I go through it: grappling with change in routine, new health insurance protocols, questions about how honest to be with your new employer, medication switches and all the implications of making a life change.

It'll be a case study of sorts, which should help me put some distance between me and the fear, and may be a learning for everyone else.

Posted by liz at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Timberlake execution stayed by Indiana Supreme Court

No explanation necessary.

Posted by liz at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now we know his name. The man who lunged at police with a knife and was shot by five officers after he shouted "Kill me, kill me!" was 26-year-old Charles Kelley. Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Patrick Kerkstra writes, quite eloquently:

Police have not been able to find his next of kin, and they suspect he was homeless and mentally disturbed. It is not hard to imagine a life spent outside, looking in. But in his final hours, police said, this powerless man roamed the chambers of the powerful.

Kelley, police allege, broke into a room in Philadelphia's City Hall (pictured), scribbled stuff on paper and looked in desk drawers. Then he went into another office, broke another window and took a Bible and a knife when he left. Police are calling this a "rampage," which I guess is the word they're hoping will justify the fact that five officers gunned down a man who was armed only with a knife.

Breaking and entry is a crime; it's not, however, punishable by death, even if the perpetrator says he wants to die.

Again, the Inquirer slaps a snappy headline on there: "Attacking City Hall, then police." It's not known how lunging with a knife is "attacking" police. "Threatening" would've been the better word, but it seems the Inky is having some trouble with its overheated headline writers. (More on that later.)

Attacking City Hall, then police

Posted by liz at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It has come to my attention that my links—my lovely, beautiful, long list of mental health resources I had running down the right-hand part of the screen—have vanished. Very sad, especially because it took me hours to build in the first place.

But Paul in Bordentown assures me such links are helpful, and he'd like me to rebuild. So rebuild I must, even if it kills me.

If you have a link you'd like to see on the site, I'm creating a master list, so now's the time to send it.

Posted by liz at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The 5th Annual BrainStorm Poetry Contest is organized by NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action, in Canada. Here's the press release. Get writing!

It’s that time again, when poets pick up their pencils and enter the BrainStorm Poetry Contest for individuals living with mental illness. Join in, by entering your best poetry by March 23, 2007. Prizes will be awarded for the top three poems. The contest opened on January 2, 2007 and it runs until Friday, March 23, 2007. The top three poems, judged by a panel of mental health consumers and family members, will be awarded prizes and be published in Open Minds Quarterly, a literary journal dedicated to publishing the writing of individuals living with mental illness. If you are a poet who has experienced mental illness or mental health difficulties, download the entry form and rules today from www.nisa.on.ca.

First prize – $250 • Second Prize – $150 • Third Prize – $75

Posted by liz at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has, says Jean Arnold, co-founder and chair of the National Stigma Clearinghouse in New York, "issued a hefty manual with nearly everything mental health advocates need to know about fighting stigma and discrimination. This comprehensive guide is the best we've seen, and comes with a CD for added usefulness."

Yay!

To download the booklet, go here.

Posted by liz at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, it's a banner day for our feature BMMDI, though in this case, the bipolar part is unclear. Jason Burham shot co-workers at Easter Seals Crossroads Industrial Services in Indianapolis. His mother said he's been on medication his whole life, and his diagnosis history includes schizophrenia.

Workplace Shooting Suspect to Be in Court

Posted by liz at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Experts say police justified in killing"--that's the headline for today's Inquirer story about the man who, wielding a knife, shouted "kill me!" and was then killed by police. I've scanned Andrew Maykuth's article, and I'm having a hard time finding the experts saying anything like that.

Maykuth quotes "L. George Parry, a former federal and state prosecutor who helped draft the Philadelphia Police Department's use-of-force guidelines in the 1970s" as saying, "Frankly I'm surprised to hear the Philadelphia police have Tasers, and it's good to know they have alternatives to deadly force. The Philadelphia department usually stays with old standbys."

How is this saying the police actions were justified?

Maykuth then quotes Lou Reiter, "a police consultant and former deputy chief in Los Angeles": "You try to do everything you can to defuse and not heighten the agitation. But it's not uncommon for the officers themselves to get real excited. An officer might yell: 'Drop the knife! Drop the knife! Drop the knife,' repeating it like a mantra and maybe adding some profanity in there. That just increases the agitation."

So ... is that an expert justifying the killing? Doesn't sound that way to me. Sounds like he's acknowledging the police can get out of hand. And given that one cop on an online message board described the scene as being like "the Wild West," I'm guessing there was indeed some "agitation."

It's distressing to think people will be flipping through the paper, will see that headline and will later say, "Well, it sounds like they didn't have a choice."

Experts say police justified in killing

Posted by liz at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Jeannette M. May, of Spokane, Wash., has been arrested for the murder of a 62-year-old man she says was trying to rape her. Her claim of self-defense wouldn't necessarily hit my radar, except that the coverage of the case includes a mention of her bipolar disorder. May's friend says May, 48, has bipolar disorder and isn't supposed to drink. But she was drinking the night of the murder.

Does this change our interpretation of the events? People with bipolar disorder drink all the time. Was this her first drink ever since her diagnosis? Probably not. Her friend may think she's trying to protect her with that added detail. But it seems like an unimportant distinction if you kill someone in self-defense.

Slaying suspect says she fought off rape

Posted by liz at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do I put this so it won't be embarrassing? Let's just say I enjoyed Garden State just a little too much. I wept. I played the soundtrack endlessly. I became a Scrubs fan. It was all shameful. But he's Jewish and cute and sensitive and funny and, yes, depressed! What can I say?

Zach Braff Suffers From Mild Depression

Charlie Brown Christmas - Performed by the Cast of Scrubs

Posted by liz at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's the headline from the Philadelphia Daily News: "Cops oblige man yelling 'Kill me!'" That's the perfect way to put it, too. The man had a knife and lunged at police officers. He was shot with a Taser, but didn't go down. So when he screamed, "Kill me!", "numerous police officers" opened fire, killing him.

Cops will defend themselves, saying they've been told to use Tasers against suicidal people and that's exactly what they did. They had no choice, they'll say, but to kill him. Hey, here's a thought: How about one officer shooting him in the leg, thus disarming him? Even shooting him twice, if need be, and wounding him. At least he would have had a chance. "Numerous" men with guns with numerous bullets? That's a great way to kill someone.

A rookie cop on the forum section of Domelights.com commented, "he should have dropped the knife. he was tazed multiple times it was a good shooting to all involved."

Nice.

Posted by liz at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Sometimes I go to Survivors Art Foundation to get inspired. The website features artwork by survivors of trauma and abuse. Today I found A Boy's Story, a sort of online graphic novel beautifully told and illustrated by Robert Adam. It takes some time to click through, especially because each image is so striking and imaginative, you'll want to spend a little time with it. But it's worth it. I won't stop thinking about it for days, I'm sure.

I want to contact Adams, but I feel too overwhelmed by the emotion of it right now. That kind of honesty about incest is hard to come by. He's heroic for his bravery in telling his story. And for the beauty he's created from the ugliest act imaginable.

Posted by liz at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."

[Painting by Daniel Dos Santos]

Posted by liz at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I dreamt that my career as alt-weekly journalist took an interesting turn after Sen. Joe Biden asked me to perform his brain surgery. Apparently, the senator had an ongoing problem that needed regularly scheduled surgeries. For his first one, he decided I should do the job, though I had no medical experience whatsoever. He said he'd talk me through it.

The first surgery was strange. We shaved his head and propped him in an old-school barber's chair. I drew on his hairline with black eyeliner and made an incision with an Exacto knife. Next I took my fancy doctor's tool—a tweezers—and tweezed his eyebrows. Each time I pulled out a hair, I said, "Is that okay? Does it hurt?" And he'd just mumble sleepily.

Several years and many surgeries later, PW held a talent show, and Joe Biden had a starring role. I decided to introduce him. I waxed poetic about the way Biden trusted me, a mere writer, with his brain surgery, turning me into one the great surgeons of our day. After I left the stage, and Biden got up to do a song-and-dance number, I realized that I'd only been dreaming about giving him brain surgery so everything I'd just said was a lie. I was deeply humiliated.

Fin.

Posted by liz at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've spoken, at length, about Cute Overload and my addiction to it, & c & c. Now a new website is competing for my animal-love attention. It's called Animalphiles, and it's maintained by Annie Hammock, whose colleagues at CNN teased her for doing so many animal-related stories, so she's channeling her Qte obsession in a more positive direction.

Though it has cute photos, the site focuses more on news items about animals, many of them humorous. Take this photo, for instance. It's of an enormous cat that was caught in a doggy door in a home many miles away from its own. It's a heartwarming story—I won't tell you the whole thing. Go to Animalphiles for more.

Animalphiles

Posted by liz at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lovely Funday headline:
Treating mom's depression helps child, too

[Photo: my mom.]

Posted by liz at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Finally, there's some money reaching survivors of Katrina who are struggling with mental health issues. "Access to Care," a recovery program of the Red Cross, is meant to get people mental health and substance abuse services no matter where they live now—either in the immediate area of the storm, or many states away.

Funday quote from the Disaster News Network:

"I was thrilled to hear about Access to Care," said Stephanie Lundgreen, family advocate manager for Rita Recovery in southeast Texas. "I'm especially happy to hear that it's retroactive."

Don't you feel all gooey happy now?

Mental health funds reach storm survivors

[Shirt from Nola.us.]

Posted by liz at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fish oil relieves symptoms of depression

[Photo copyright Liz Spikol]

Posted by liz at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For years now I've been unable to throw away old house keys. This is a problem when you move all the time. But today I'm considering throwing them all out. It just seems too neurotic to keep all these keys. But I can't seem to get them into the trash can. If I put them in, I get anxious and have to pull them out. Oh, OCD, you cruel master!

[Photo by bogenfreund]

Posted by liz at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Terance Arakaki (pictured) is a mental health counselor at the Cowlitz County Jail in Washington state. It's a brutal job that keeps getting harder: the numbers of mentally ill prisoners there continues to surge. The article about him quantifies the increase: "In September of 2005, he interacted with inmates on 368 occasions, the corrections department said. By September of last year, the number climbed to 931."

When he walks throug the jail, inmates are screaming at him to help them. Many of them don't even know where they are or why, and the state is asking the same question. But there's a fatalism in the article by Tony Lystra that's distressing. It's not the author's attitude, but a hopelessness seeps through.

Local officials say the jail's mentally ill population is spiking because there's no other place for them. Cowlitz County Sheriff Bill Mahoney recently referred to the lockup as a "de facto storage unit for those with mental issues."

And Price noted that "things really started going badly" about five or six years ago when state officials decided that the mentally ill should be treated locally, not at state hospitals. That, he said, left patients loose in public and, in many cases, free to manage their own care.

Now, he and other officials said, when inmates with mental problems are released from the county lockup, some end up back in jail within days.

What's the solution? Arakaki can't do it all himself. But his committment to the inmates is admirable. That's why he's our hero of the day.

'They talk to cracks in the walls'

[Photo by Greg Ebersole]

Posted by liz at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Being married is hard work, I don't care what anyone says. Life is hard, first of all, and when you add the complexity of sharing a household with another person, and haggling over finances, and who's going to whose family over Christmas, it can get challenging. I was married once, and I now live with a long-term partner, so I know how it goes. It surprises me when people expect it to be easier because they love each other. Loving someone, and being invested in their well-being, makes it even tougher sometimes. The stakes are higher, the worry deeper. This isn't sharing a dorm room in college.

I was interested, then, to see an article in the New York Times about marriage and the things that should be clear before you enter into one. The suggestions work pretty well for people in domestic partnerships, as well. The link is below.

Today I was emailed a link to an article from bp magazine. It talks about the challenges of marriage when one spouse has bipolar disorder. There are also case histories, which are really interesting.

Beating the Marriage Odds

Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying

[Photo of toilet paper brides by Mayak2]

Posted by liz at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I've featured Ichbinkeinberliner before, and I love her stuff. She's also been very supportive of my YouTube efforts. Until today, I didn't know she did this video, which was a response to my video about weight gain as a side effect to psych meds.

I agree with her general point: Better to be fat than psychotic. But I wasn't talking about psychosis. I was talking about a milder form of depression that might have responded to more Effexor but, as it turned out, ebbed away on its own.

It's great to hear from someone who takes this position. She's got an amazing sense of self.

I just want to say this, however: Someone wrote that I'm anorexic in response to this video. That is absolutely not true. I've written about every aspect of my life and my psyche; I hide nothing. I'm not ashamed of any of my problems. But I want to be clear: I'm not anorexic. I'm not bulimic. I have a tendency toward compulsive eating; that's the only issue I grapple with.

Why do people make things up about me? Ugh. Stupid.

Posted by liz at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Coroner: Inmate's death was suicide

RML study prescribes yoga cure for depression

Nightmares linked to suicide attempts

Abuse leads to depression

Posted by liz at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Green Valley killer had history of emotional problems

At first I thought they meant "Green River Killer," and I was like, "Um, yeah. No surprise there." But this article isn't actually surprising. It's just sad.

Posted by liz at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are two of my favorite things: Writing about mental illness, and bashing Mel Gibson. I find them equally rewarding, which is why I'm so pleased by the below review of Apocalypto, Gibson's latest movie. I didn't see the film because I don't want to contribute to his well-being. Nor will I ever pay for anything involving Michael Richards. It's just a policy of mine: Once you betray your racism, you've lost my support. Forever.

Gibson has been making nice box-office returns for his Mayan saga, and has garnered solid reviews. Many of those reviews point, however obliquely, to the issue of separating the art from the artist. I agree with that in general, but it's easier for me to do with Charles Dickens or T.S. Eliot. Death becomes them.

You might expect an Israeli film reviewer to critique Mel Gibson because of his anti-Semitism, but this review calls the film "a mental illness." I've never heard that metaphor in a film review. I think it's kind of unfair to people who have mental illnesses, actually. But then, the review is partly positive, so how do you parse that?

My favorite line from the review: "[Gibson] has certainly managed to personalize the bloodbath."

It’s not a movie; it’s a mental illness

Posted by liz at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here's a new diagnosis code for you: post-partisan depression. It was coined by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), whose members are dismayed by the California Governator's plan for universal healthcare, which Ahnold proposed in the spirit of "post-partisan" cooperation. NAM's claim is that if you mandate coverage for employees, you put small businesses out of business. I'm not convinced, but I like the new term.

Calif. Gov Calls for Universal Coverage

California's Post-Partisan Depression

[I know it would be more distinguished to present a photo of Arnold as governor, but I just can't resist this lovely sepia-tone image.]

Posted by liz at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, I know we don't care about Kelly Osbourne at all because she's utterly uninteresting. But this little dollop of celebrity gossip, from ContactMusic.com, will make you feel even more alienated from famous people than you do already:

KELLY OSBOURNE blames her privileged lifestyle for her substance abuse and depression, because luxury living brings about extreme boredom. The 22-year-old has successfully overcome her demons following several spells in rehab - but is always on the lookout for the signs of a relapse. She says, "It's so easy for me to fall back into depression. I think it comes with having money. I don't have to work. I could be sitting bored and depressed at home with a bag on my head."

[This photo is of Kelly and her mom, Sharon. I love Sharon. But in this photo you know she's wondering, "How is this my child? What have I done?"]

Posted by liz at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) </