Tonight was my last official class, next week we have a pizza party and can bring our family members, Keven said he'd go so I hope he follows through I really want him to be there.
I have learned so much from this class, and the support and hope I've got has been wonderful. Luckily our group can stay together and meet once a month in someone's home, I really want to stay in touch with everyone.
So much of the information I've gained has been helpful and hopeful. I think I've mentioned that two of the young women that help lead the class are both "diagnosed" and you would never know in a million years, they are both intelligent, sweet, attractive, confident, ambitious, I could go on and on, they are my favorite part of the class and I will miss them tremendously.
One thing I learned from one of them tonight (I swear she is like an encyclopedia of knowledge - with first hand experience of bi-polar!)
I told her that Kev's doctor said he was having delusions, not hallucinations. Now, I heard this second hand via Keven. He does not allow me to talk to his doctor (which irks me that I support him yet legally the dr. doesn't have to talk to me).
My question was: What is the difference between hallucinations and delusions and are they part of bi-polar or do they always indicate schizophrenia?
She explained it really well. Delusions are thoughts, hallucinations are the senses reacting to the thoughts. Hallucinations can be visual, audible or even a sense of smell or hot or cold or whatever. For example if you thought someone was hiding in your house to "get you" you could see them even if they weren't there. Its not uncommon for someone in the manic stage of Bi-Polar to have them.
We just happened to have a guest speaker tonight who has worked in the mental health field for 24 years. She shared her story. She is schizophrenic. HER STORY WAS INSANE (oops, no pun intended). She is writing a book and I would not be surprised if its a movie someday similar to "A Beautiful Mind". She lived with imaginary friends, super powers, paranoid ideas, etc. for YEARS all alone and undiagnosed. Yet there she was: a wife, mother and long term worker in the field, devoting her life to helping others. Dang. I hope she writes the book soon so everyone can read it!
Bottom line: Mental Illness is SO COMMON and can be treated. A large percentage of addicts either use drugs to medicate a mental illness OR their drug use induces a mental illness. It depresses me to put a label on my son and it kills me to see him suffer, but at least we are getting some help.
Peace, Hope and Love, Barbara
3 comments:
I think it is so great how mental illness has come to the forefront and so many people are open about it now. When my brother had his first "breakthrough" he was probably 13. He was in and out of the system for years, undiagnosed and nobody talked about it, not the family, not anybody. Today, we are very open with him and he with us. He has had extreme hallucinations during manic episodes in the past. I always thought his mental illness was caused by his meth use, but the mental illness came first, then the self medicating and addiction. I am glad you got so much out of the class and can't wait for the book! Have a fantastic Mother's Day Barbara, you so deserve it.
Barbara I have never talked about this but J has said on several occasions that he think he may be bi-polar. How do they figure it out? How do did you distinguish his behavior as something separate from addiction?
Glad that you have attended these classes. It helps to increase understanding of mental problems because those who have the conditions certainly don't want to be the way that they are. It also helps to have others to share and talk with.
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