A New Vision For Mental Health Treatment Laws

[allan]

Involuntary Outpatient Commitment

Reform of the Lanterman, Petris, Short Act

A NEW VISION FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT LAWS

A Report by the LPS Reform Task Force

Editors:

Carla Jacobs

Elizabeth Galton, MD

Beth Howard

http://www.desertpacific.mirecc.va.gov/new...#mental-illness

[allan]

The VA diagnosed me with bipolar, secondary to Multiple Sclerosis around fifteen years ago.

I've been taking depakote a private doctor prescribed about a month ago, and have stopped having the suicide thoughts.

Why has every VA health care practioner I've come across, refused to treat me for this all those years?

My advice for all veterans is "never" trust the Dept of Veterans.

Health care or compensation. It's all about the $$$$.

[tssnave]

Allan,

I read almost all of this information but aside from the title, can't see anything about "Involuntary Outpatient Commitment".

What, exactly does that mean anyway? Involuntary I understand - you don't agree to it. But "Outpatient Commitment" sounds contridictory to me. How can you be committed on an outpatient basis?

I wish I had gotten my medical POA signed before the VA formally agreed that I was sc 50% bipolar.

Thanks for the link,

TS Snave

[allan]

Hello TS,

I noticed the same thing.

My understanding of it is your family can have you commited if your a danger to yourself or anyone else.

But mostly this is about treatment, or lack of it from what i can gather.

It ain't right for them to put me and my family through this all these years.

Allan

[tssnave]

Allan,

I've only been on hadit maybe a year now, so I'm not familiar with your back story and don't understand your comment "It ain't right for them to put me and my family through this all these years." Care to elaborate?

Either way, I appreciate the link to the article. I got a big kick out of the statement where they said that some bipolar patients prefer mania to a "drug induced sense of reality". My experience with meds is they either turn you into a zombie or wind up you worse than you do on your own but I've yet to achieve a drug induced sense of reality.

Thanks again for the link,

TS

[allan]

TS,

"drug induced sense of reality"?

I was diagnosed back in 94'or 95', but i've recieved no treatment for bipolar since diagnosed. Recently a private MD prescribed depakote. Don't understand why the VA would put someone through that all those years, when treatment was available.

>My experience with meds is they either turn you into a zombie or wind up you worse than you do on your own but I've yet to achieve a drug induced sense of reality.

Do you have a diagnoses for bipolar also? If so, what do you do that helps it.

Allan

[tssnave]

Allan,

Yes, I'm bipolar, have been for probably 25 years or better though I didn't recognize that mania was "bad" or "wrong" until I got into counseling about 15 years ago. I was always so thankful to be out of the pit that it never occurred to me to say anything about it until I missed an appointment on day and told the shrink I had "crashed" and she questioned me and told me I had bipolar. I just thought I finally had some energy and who doesn't like the garage and closets neat and tidy? Over the years it slowly progessed and now I can get psychotic during the tail end of mania which is no fun but the trade off is I spend less time in the black pit of depression and stay more in the murky middle of dysthimia (low grade depression). I am currently rated 50% for bipolar but have put in an NOD for 70% and 100% IU since I haven't worked for years due to my bipolar.

What works - good question. I am a concrete thinker (like numbers, order, etc) so I approach my illness from a process standpoint. IOW, I have processes in place to minimize the impact of bipolar during what I term the murky middle which is where I am either moderately depressed (as opposed to really depressed and suicidal) or ramping up (not sleeping for just a couple of days as opposed to manic when I don't sleep for upwards of a week or more). When I am deeply depressed or in full blown mania there's not much to do other than while depressed to pray, hang on, and know that it will eventually pass. When I'm manic I can't string two thoughts together so I just live in the momement and don't give a rip until I start getting psychotic which is frightening but by that point I'm close to crashing so I just go home to roost until I crash.

BUT, for the murky middle, I use processes to help me function.

~ I eat or snack on even hours which helps me from overeating so bad when I'm depressed and reminds me to eat when I'm ramping up.

~ I put an alarm clock in another room than the bedroom so I physically have to get up out of bed to turn it off which is sometimes enough to help me get started when I'm not doing well and tempted to stay in bed all day.

~ I make my shrink appointments for the morning because there's still enough soldier left in me that if I have a "formation" to get to I will get out of bed for that where I would just stay in bed if I didn't have a place to be.

~ I have a flip calendar with scripture on it to remind me that there's a God in heaven who cares about me when I feel like there is no one on this earth who gives a rip if I live or die so I may as well die. Before I went back to my roots and going to church again I would use the Hazeldine books that AA and CODA uses. They can be uplifting thought I would suggest a Christian devotional now over a HAzeldine book, anything that you do every morning that will remind you that there is hope in the world is helpful.

~ I try to volunteer when I can. Being bipolar means I can't sign up for anything in advance but I open to one shot ministry opportunities like setting up for events at church (they can always use an extra set of hands) stuffing envelopes, packing pills for missions trips. Whenever I decline someone suggesting I sign up for this or that at church I always tell them that my schedule doesn't allow me to do that but that I will keep it in mind and to please feel free to call my at the last minute if something comes up and if I'm available I will help. This way, I don't have to live in the failure of wanting to help and trying to help but not being able to help with something I've signed up for when I felt ok but by the time it rolls around I feel crappy but can instead live in the success of having people know I am open to helping when I'm "available". I don't get into what "my schedule" means and many times for things I show up for things I didn't sign up for but felt good enough to go do when it happened. So, volunteer. It gets you out of the house, you don't think about your problems, and you feel good that you've done something and even more so that you did something for someone else.

~ If I am listening to the truck radio on scan I know I shouldn't be driving because my attention span is such that scan is a reflection of my thought process.

~ If I don't know if it's day or night without looking outside I tell myself "you are manic - do NOT drive".

I haven't figured out a way yet to remember to bathe daily or change clothes. Don't care when I'm depressed and can't focus when I'm manic. Still working on those.

I hope this helps. If you find any tricks or processes I'm open to hearing about them. Probably the best thing about being bipolar is that if you can just hang on, sooner or later whatever mood you are in will resolve. Of course, the tough thing is you will also eventually wind up back in the pit or flying high. Live in the middle, that's what I do.

How do you like the Depakote?

Thanks,

TS