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Category Archives: General Bipolar

Payback Day With Rick Jones

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Yesterday Rye and I had what  Don and I call a payback day.  Payback days are essentially mental health/fall apart days for Rye.  Days where Rye really lets down and lets out all of the fears, anxieties, anger, etc. that he has been keeping inside for days or weeks, like a tea kettle that has [...]

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Summer Camp: The Review

Saturday, July 17, 2010

He liked it!
He liked the overnight camp and wants to go back to another one next year.  Or maybe even two.
After picking him up I heard endless tales of intrigue.  We went and had lunch and he told me stories of good times, stories of bad times, stories of nice kids and stories of mean [...]

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Therapy: Do The Right Thing

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I like the therapist.  I like him a lot.
It’s interesting, though.  He is very much a behavior based therapist.  In other words,  he minimizes the effect of medicines as he believes they don’t control you.  You control yourself, regardless of medication.  Now, as much as I would like to believe this is wholly and completely [...]

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The Boy Beneath The Mask

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The boy beneath the mask
Is not as he may seem
An illusion to the world
Himself left to redeem
The path from which he
Once had veered
Now in the mirror
Is closer than appeared
The road is long
And winding yet
But others are watching
Helping his step
The boy will find his way
In life
He will be happy, healthy
Despite forthcoming strife
He is a mystery
To those [...]

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The Therapist

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I liked him.
He is an older man.  A psychologist (PhD).  And has over 30 years of experience.  He has a very relaxed energy, seemed very confident in what he does and was very personable.   He seemed to be of the ‘been there, done that’ variety and displayed an ease of the soul that comes only [...]

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The Psychiatric Hospital: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Monday, June 14, 2010

Well, it’s been 2 weeks and we are now home from Rye’s inpatient hospitalization.  What a ride this has all been.  In fact, we got home yesterday and my head is still spinning and I’m not even sure I can write a decent post.  But here goes…
What was good about the hospital?

It seems to have [...]

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The Fragility Of Reality

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The perception of reality is something that people without mental illness take for granted.   Myself included.  For Rye however, in times of unbalance,  it can be a precarious perception.  For days now, maybe weeks even, he has been agitated and in and out of reality.  Yesterday, in response to a period of intense aggravation, his doctors started [...]

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The Hospital

Monday, June 7, 2010

As it turns out, Rye could not follow the rules of the house so we took him to the hospital.  We could not get the Depakote level high enough, fast enough to stay helpful once his body adjusted to it and we  just could not keep him safe.  From himself. 
It’s kind of a weird thing, really. 
I’m [...]

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The Depakote Is Starting To Work

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Rye has been on Depakote now for 2 weeks and we are definitely starting to see some changes for the positive.   What are we seeing?
Well, he is able to do his school work every day.  All of it.  Yes, he still doesn’t want to do it.  No change there.  But he does it anyway.  And [...]

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Mark Twain & His Daughter Susy

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

It is suggested that Mark Twain (pen name) was bipolar.  It is also hypothesized that his daughter Susy, who many considered to be Twain’s writing muse, was also bipolar.  He writes about her here in his newly released manuscripts:
“She was a magazine of feelings, and they were of all kinds and of all shades of [...]

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Homeschooling Manic Bipolar

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The first half of our day went like this:

After which, I felt like this:
And wanted to do this:

But somehow we made it.
And we are both still here and alive.
Well, he’s now asleep.
I’m awake and still alive.
And now I’m going to work in the garden.  Hello peace and solitude.
Amen.

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