Postcards from the Funny Farm

I was discussing this series with my wife and she suggested I do a post on what spouses/loved ones should look for as symptoms of bipolar disorder.  After all, this is a mental illness so the person suffering it usually will not notice the symptoms on their own.  Here are some symptoms of a bipolar manic episode:

• Racing thoughts
• Decreased need for sleep
• Grandiosity
• Irritability
• Excessive spending, usually to the point of being overdrawn or maxing credit cards for silly items. Rule of thumb: If authorize.net starts calling your house repeatedly … something bad is going on.
• Highly verbal, almost annoyingly so to others.
• Not eating enough
• overly elevated mood and/or deep depression

Based on what I have read and put together, those are key signs.  You can get a broader and more formal perspective in the DSM section on bipolar/manic depressive illness.

Okay, so now you suspect your spouse or loved one has bipolar: Now what?

Bipolar is “special” among mental illnesses in that it has something called “The Manic Episode.”  People ranging from Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) to Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) have spoken publicly about their manic episode.  Carrie Fisher talked about how she stared at the full moon all night with no need for sleep.  By the way, a little trivia: Carrie Fisher’s novel “Postcards from the Edge” inspired the title of this blog.  That, and Chevy Chase’s 1988 Mental Health humorous film “Funny Farm.”Okay, trivia over.  Robert Downey talked about how the mania brought on drug use.  The fact of the matter is that anyone who suffers a manic episode is lucky to be alive.  Extreme care should be taken with a spouse or loved one who is suffering through one.  They can last for weeks and even sometimes months and they are brutal to the person and anyone who is close to them.  The good news is, there are things you can do:

1. Stay calm and in control.
2. Call the local hospital and ask if they have a psych admitting ward.  Explain the situation.
3. Take them there for admittance or get a referral.
4. If you can’t get them admitted … try to keep them fed, get them to sleep if possible, keep them calm.
5. Unfortunately, some insurances will not pay for the hospitalization unless the patient is “a danger to themself or to others.”  This is a bummer but it is the reality.  Use your best judgment.

I hope this post on what to watch for will help you notice a loved one beginning or going through a manic episode.  Get psychiatric help, this is the key to avoiding disaster.

When service is bad, where do you draw the line and ask for a refund? I’ve usually been one to suck it up and just not use the service again but recently I found myself turning over a new leaf. Sarah and I went out on a date Friday night for one of those fancy pizzas that costs more than lobster. That was great, I enjoyed the service and the food. After dinner we wanted to go see a movie. I told her I wanted to see “Iron Man” because I like Robert Downey Jr. and because I read several reviews saying it was a great flick. Though it wasn’t her top choice (Sex and the City of course was her request) she acquiesced since it is my birthday Monday and we went to see Iron Man. It might be safe to say it looks like a guy’s movie.

Okay, I lied. We never got to see it. We were quickly told it was cash only since the credit card machines were down. I went across the street to the atm at a liquor store and it cost me $3.50 in fees. The theater was packed and gang thug types were all over the place. A few of them were actually starting to rap out loud. That was annoying and rude, but when we got to our seats and realized there was no air conditioning (it was about 100 degrees) I had my fill at that point. I approached the 20-something manager and he started giving me a hard time because I wanted my cash back. Not that I have anything against 20-somethings, I have some respected friends and colleagues in ther twenties. This guy, I do not respect. He kept offering me credits. I’m telling you, I will never go back to that theater again. The manager had a pin on that said “Philly Rocks.” Well, maybe he should go check out some Philadelphia jobs. Anyway we are lucky there are two theaters up here in the high desert so we have a choice. We listened to some great music on the HiFi on the way home and the night ended up okay. Have you had a time when you drew the line and asked for a refund?