IN THE COMMENTS: Gary Carson writes:
I've gone for weeks with no more than 2 hours sleep per day (mania) and was constantly drinking beer during my waking hours.
I probably would have really gone nuts without the beer to keep me calmed down.
I don't think it's at all weird that two entertainers have recently died [sic] after a period of sleep disorder.
It would be my guess that bipolar disorder has a higher incidence among entertainers than among the general population and it's certianly the case that risky behavior tends to go hand in hand with manic episodes.
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Probably several drugs. If Britney were in her manic phase she would be WIRED. Poor choices of other drugs and dosages could compound the problem. Her brain would be too active to sleep. Often times after 36 hours or so you get hallucinations which may contribute to uncontrolled self medicating. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Ledger had some combination of recreational and prescription drug which did him in.
I once stayed up for 40 hours. not fun
My record was perhaps 72 hours with perhaps a grand total of one or two hours of sleep, but that was as an undergrad to finish a project and didn't require drugs.
I was twitching near the end, unable to type without making lots of mistakes, saying one word when I meant another....
Could she be a meth-head?
So insomnia now constitutes a reason for forced psychiatric treatment......
I once went for a period where I only got about 8 hours of sleep over 6 days. It wasn't drugs. My Mother had had a stroke, she was in ICU, and terrified. The minute I would try to leave, she would have a panic attack. Several times when I did get away, the hospital called me back in order to calm her down.
By Day 3, I was a walking zombie. I couldn't remember how to make change at the grocery store and it even got hard to make my mouth form words or to have the energy to chew food.
I finally begged them to put her on some kind of medication to knock her out, so I could get some sleep. They said it was too dangerous in her condition, but they did move her and let me sleep in the next bed, where she could see me. The funny thing is, when she could see me, she became very Motherly and wouldn't let the nurses disturb me or make any noise that could wake me.
It's not always drug related, or even mostly drug related. People with bipolar disorder, for example, can actually die from lack of sleep in extreme cases. Many other mental dysfunctions cause prolonged sleep deprivation. My guess is that Britney's condition was indeed kick started by drugs, but has now morphed into full blown psychosis that doesn't need any more drugs to keep it going. Ironically, this new rock bottom might end up saving her life. I think underneath all that mess that is Britney Spears is a deceit and good woman who is tired of being like this. Seems too that the family is doing the right thing this time around by treating this thing dead seriously.
Yes, kidnapping and false imprisonment is always a sad affair.
But there are remedies: A 5150 is very easily smashed through the writ process. You can apply for an emergency writ and have her outta there WITHIN 72 hours.
By the way: There is a mental health exclusion in the tort law allowing psychiatrists to be easily sued for malpractice, and especially when you've got a lack of consent, or involuntary situation.
Everybody that's dealing with her is subject to malpractice. They've got absolutely no consent, and UCLA has deep pockets !!!!
BRITNEY: CALL ME COLLECT ! I'LL HAVE YA OUTTA THAT RATHOLE IN NO TIME !!!!
Maybe the report was wrong. How would anyone know if she'd been up that long, short of being with her the whole time?
"Have you ever gone even 2 days without sleeping?
Just under 36 hours is my record, accomplished with nothing but caffeine.
And I was utterly dysfunctional well before that point.
"Some drug is involved, no?"
As cynical as I am about stars and their recreational choices, I don't want to pass judgement on my own. If the doctors show that Ledger did indeed have drugs in his system then I'll accept that. Ditto Britney; if it's proven that she's on something, then I'll buy it. Otherwise, I really want to avoid my previous Hank Gathers mistake, because I really put my foot in my mouth over that one.
UCLA Psych Ward is worse than a Concentration Camp. They're keeping her good and doped up. Keep in mind---UCLA doesn't run the place. The County runs it. It's a County facility, and everything that implies. They've had all kinds of abuses. UCLA just collects the endowments and gobs of money that keep pouring in on behalf of "the mentally ill". It's a big racket and sham. But then, that's exactly what the Mental Health Community is, right Dr. Helen ????
She needs someone to bust her outta there, otherwise she's as good as dead, anyway. Where are her lawyers?
http://www.last.fm/listen/user/ValentineMaxine/playlist
Wait a minute....if Althouse is so concerned about people not sleeping, what is she doing awake to even do this post?
It's at least 2 a.m. in Wisconson by now......
If Althouse is still awake.....5150 time !!!
Maxine, there is no indication that Britney resisted going to the hospital, so why do you say kidnapping?
MAXINE,
you are quite wise. First of all there was an episode about not sleeping on Family Ties way back in the 80s. It was when M J Fox character's friend died. He couldn't sleep for days Actually if you ever have been under pressure from a stressful situation insomnia happens. Doesn't mean you are bipolar, borderline personality whatever. And even if it does, doesn't mean your nuts or should be medicated or locked up. it means shit happens and your body tries to cope but can't.
And I remember the particular episode on the TV to be quite moving. Always thought the Dad on that show was the best. Anyway, the show was quite true about what runs through your mind when not sleeping but dealing with a stressful situation. The prevalence of diagnosing with disorder is so disorderly in this country it scares me, but I learn to cope with other methods and haven't lost sleep in a long time about worrying about doctors. I laugh loud and laugh often. And cry and shout and do whatever. I'm emotional not crazy.
Maxine is a Scientologist, and believes all psychiatrists are evil because L. Ron said so.
"Miss Spears, who reportedly had not slept for five days before being committed...."
I feel sorry for Britney Spears, and don't want to set up a post to talk about her. But this news of not sleeping upsets me. News reports had talk of Heath Ledger not sleeping for days before his untimely death. Have you ever gone even 2 days without sleeping? I haven't. I can't imagine having this problem. Some drug is involved, no?
Uh, kids....if you can read that without thinking "Oops, Ann's hitting the wine box again" you're really not paying attention.
Seriously -- a desperate cry for help.
There's lots of ways to get your mind into hallucinatory status. I think you can marathon physical activity for only 24 hours and get to a certain point. Saw that on some show too. And if you have ever exercised really hard and long, you feel your mind start to slip into a zone.
You can also raise your temperature with scarlet fever and hallucinate. I don't think it's physics, but ithere is some kind of equation that correlates pressure/temperature/volume.
I also have taken a half dose of a certain pharma antidepressant and felt my body slipping somewhere, and that's when I seriously started taking mental notes.
I have never been into drugs much. I don't like how they make me feel and always want and need my sleep.
I have had friends that have been involved with meth and don't sleep for entire weekend.
Meth/Coke are drugs that keep you up for days. You will chew your lip off and look awful and will you not sleep. Disgusting drugs. Evil.
Maxine, in the words of King Juan Carlos I, why don't you shut up?
In Wisconsin they must grow uncrazy genius. I mean this physic guy won two nobles and was just ordinary.
It has been said that Bardeen proves wrong the stereotype of the "crazy scientist. Lillian Hoddeson, a University of Illinois historian who wrote a book on Bardeen, said that because he "differed radically from the popular stereotype of genius and was uninterested in appearing other than ordinary, the public and the media often overlooked him."
OH well...Can't win either way. I tried being an ordinary housewife and I tried being a crazy divorcee.
Kids stay up for 4 days at summer camp to be cool.
I once stayed awake for three days studying for final exams during my freshman year in college. While driving home at 3:00 in the morning, back to my hometown, I fell asleep driving on a winding road and flipped the car upside down in ditch after crashing through an old man's barbed wire fence. Not five minutes before this happened I had the prescience to pull over the car and fasten my seat belt because I was worried something like that might happen.
...this news of not sleeping upsets me... Have you ever gone even 2 days without sleeping? I haven't. I can't imagine having this problem. Some drug is involved, no?
In Brit's case it's bipolar in the manic phase. It's one of the many things they do. Incredible over the top energy.
Husband of a friend had a "psychotic break" and did not sleep for 6 days, during which he received messages from aliens, in the form of static coming from the tv, set to no station channels. No drugs involved, except for raging, out-of-balance brain chemistry.
Terry, I wonder if, in another era, he's have heard from angels or demons instead of aliens. (In other words, our disordered brains throw items we "know" about or have thought about back at us.)
(In other words, our disordered brains throw items we "know" about or have thought about back at us.)
That explains why Mike Huckabee is cutting me in line at the local Starbucks.
Have you ever gone even 2 days without sleeping?
Yes.
I haven't.
Good for you.
I can't imagine having this problem.
I'm not surprised given your post.
Some drug is involved, no?
Perhpas but not necessarily, no. A trained and competent mental health professional could shed light on this subject, but there don't seem to be any around at the moment.
Wake Up! It's Milking Time in Wisconsin where the Bars close at two and the Barns open at four.
Three days with no sleep during finals week one semester. Started to see things move out of the corner of my eye, which freaked me out enough to go to bed.
If you can't sleep, get up and work for a couple hours. Have a nice coffee to get a kick start. Go back to bed when you get tired.
Nap in the afternoon.
The dog regards it as a treat twice over, once for being up at 3am and once for being on the bed with you at 3pm.
Spears' trouble is she doesn't have a decent dog. Koehler used to run dog training classes in Orange County, to shape the characters of the owners into something useful to them, and also the dogs.
He's been pretty much banned in the new age of equal outcome dog training.
Five days with no sleep at all is very unlikely.
The most I've ever seen was 3 days with no sleep at all, and that was with the use of bennies on the Vietnam Navy Gun Line. Those of us who didn't take bennies could manage to sneak in 15-20 minute naps from time to time.
In her case I'm guessing it's more likely mania, in which sleeping a couple hours a night for many days in a row isn't that uncommon. Her overall behavior certianly suggests she has some sort of bipolar problems.
I can imagine a person — without drugs — going for many days without a decent night's sleep, nodding off and getting only short naps.
Anyway, my point is that it's interesting that these 2 individuals have gone without sleep and I wonder what is going on.
Maybe there is some unusual brain disorder that murders sleep, but I doubt that it befell 2 big celebrities in a 2 week period.
I participated in a sleep deprevation experiment a long time ago with measured tasks to complete and frankly 5 days seems a bit out of the realm of reason unless you are drugged up or something.
I can remember vividly the edges of one puzzle I was putting together turning a bright and glowing red and having to quit after less than 48 hours because of something to do with my heart rate....so if she went 5 days...well she must have been seeing the very devil.
I wish for her sake that one time she could get help and not fight her way or have her "passage" loaded with the press. The poor woman. Leave her alone.
In general terms, any insomnia over 48 hours can lead to hallucinating, even without the influence of drugs.
My own opinion is that Britney needs a long rest in a quiet setting (say a month), then move entirely out of the LA area where she's subject to so much temptation and harassment by papparazzi. Probably won't happen, though.
And don't forget Justin something from Grey's Anatomy who checked himself in to UCLA pysch claiming he has a sleep disorder. I believe the traditional "exhaustion" was also cited as the reason which implies not sleeping.
If UCLA psych is as bad as one poster thinks--wouldn't it be nicer/easier/better to check into a regular hospital. They've got suites and cater to celebrities.
I went without sleep for about 40 hours once during an family emergency. By the end, I was hallucinating. I don't know how people can do it. It was awful.
Meds or mania, likely.
When I was a resident I was on a hospital service where a fellow resident took ill, and I had to do call every other night for six weeks. That meant working all day and all night; no sleep -or a few 15 minute chunks- one night, then 'catching up' the next night. But oftentimes you just couldn't sleep. Why? I always woke up in a start thinking I had been paged but fell asleep. It was painful.
I became merely a machine. No thoughts other than the task at hand. No conversations, or even the ability to do so. No compassion, or even the capacity to feel it. Disconnected. Inhuman. Robotic. Like one of the drones in "Metropolis".
Al Pacino captured the feeling perfectly in "Insomnia", one reason I like that movie so much. The flashes of light, the microsleep, the sudden jarring back to life.
I was bored of Britney's drama queen antics and drug fueled self-destruction. Now I feel sorry for her, and wonder if she's dying. Folks like Maxine will help her finish the job.
Have you ever gone even 2 days without sleeping? Yes.
I haven't. Ok.
I can't imagine having this problem. Ok.
Some drug is involved, no? No is correct.
"Maybe there is some unusual brain disorder that murders sleep"
Fatal familial insomnia.
I have no idea. I can sleep anywhere, anytime.
In Britney's case, I'm really hoping it's drugs. If it's not, most of the country has been ridiculing a mentally ill person, and that's a sick thought.
In Heath's case, I'm really hoping it's not drugs. He was just coming off a role that he described as incredibly disturbing and had said he was having a hard time getting it out of his head and sleep was elusive. I can buy that.
Unfortunately, I am an expert on this subject.
I have two conditions, bipolar and sleep apnea, which have caused 7 sleepless psychotic episodes over the past 16 years.
I have gone without sleep (according to my wife and hospital staff) for up to 7 days at a time during these episodes.
I have no useful memories of what happened or where I was at the tail end of each of these episodes. My family will tell me stories that I did this or that crazy thing just before they got me to the hospital- usually by telling me they were taking me to heaven.
Outside of these episodes I am a very high functioning individual who has been the CEO of several small to medium size companies and an executive in several non-profit organizations. The vast majority of the people who know me have no idea about these manic/psychotic/sleepless episodes.
So the point regarding Britney for me is that she's seems to be bipolar and that's something totally out of her control and in that respect she is a victim of circumstances.
It is unjust to hold a bipolar person responsible for all of their actions. Somewhere during the manic time line, we cross over from reality to psychosis.
We have no way of knowing what Britney's mental state was when she made various poor choices. My suggestion for Britney, and all bipolar folks who have psychotic episodes, is to live with and believe what others are saying about you- even if your own (generally superhuman) reasoning is screaming out to do otherwise.
I maintain my sanity by submitting to my wife when it comes to my mental state. If she says I'm acting crazy- then I have to believe that I'm acting crazy and do exactly as she recommends, usually taking sleeping pills and sometimes going straight to the psychiatrists office.
It took a lot of years and a lot of episodes to learn how to manage this. Most friends and spouses of bipolar people desert them rather than stay and try to help.
I hope Britney, once she is back in this world (and it takes me months to be completely back after an episode)is surrounded by those who love and care for her and makes the good sane choices to listen and rely on those around her who truly love her and can act as monitors of her sanity.
I pray that the world will come to recognize that this particular mental illness is widespread and no more a person's "fault" than getting a brain tumor. It is a brain disease, not a behavioral choice. Before I was afflicted, I thought all mental illness was a choice, other than maybe schizophrenia. Boy, was I wrong.
Mentally ill people are not mentally ill because they make bad choices, they make bad choices because they are mentally ill.
She's looked out of control to me for a couple of years. One of Britney's problems IMO is that her wealth has put her in a position where she has no natural limits to prevent her from killing herself with her excesses.
I'll take for granted what folks are saying upthread about mania being possible. My personal experience though is that those are pictures of a druggie (coke or meth, or both plus alcohol I'd guess).
Detox, get her on some food and regular sleep and exercise - and whatever proper medication her doctor prescribes, very closely supervised - and she'll be much better within a couple weeks. She probably needs to be in-patient for 60-90 days though.
I hope she gets what she needs whatever it is. Even with what little attention I pay to this stuff it has been hard to watch her slow, public destruction.
Wake Up! It's Milking Time in Wisconsin where the Bars close at two and the Barns open at four.
When my mom and her brothers and sisters would get home too late, my grandfather, a dairy farmer in N. WI would tell them, "Don't bother to go to bed." I guess they went straight to the barn.
davew- In most cases, drugs/alcohol and mania are not either or.
Mentally ill people take drugs because they are mentally ill.
You can't hold Britney responsible for choices she makes when she is manic. Untreated, she is probably at least hypomanic (mildly manic) much of the time and therefore makes destructive choices.
This is a vexing legal issue. How do we handle people who can be either on or off from reality, and they may not have control of the switch?
This is a huge group of people- around 1-2% diagnosed and many, many more undiagnosed. A lot of these people are very high achieving. A good example can be found in the film Michael Clayton.
People who are bipolar are reluctant to identify themselves. Certain job opportunities are lost, either by law or fear. I can no longer fly an airplane, and I always considered "airline pilot" to be my back up job in case a business venture turned south. I have zero chance of ever becoming President of the United States (down from 0.00000000000000001 before I was diagnosed) even though, particularly when I am hypomanic, I'm sure no one could run the whole world as well as me.
So I'm very sympathetic to Britney and her plight. Let's not judge her, let's support her and pray that she first gets in a right state of mind and then makes good choices from that state of mind.
I've gone for weeks with no more than 2 hours sleep per day (mania) and was constantly drinking beer during my waking hours.
I probably would have really gone nuts without the beer to keep me calmed down.
I don't think it's at all weird that two entertainers have recently died after a period of sleep disorder.
It would be my guess that bipolar disorder has a higher incidence among entertainers than among the general population and it's certianly the case that risky behavior tends to go hand in hand with manic episodes.
It would seem that few posters are familiar with bipolar affective disorder, apart from those who are afflicted with it. Please let me recommend the following:
Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke. Fans of the Lord of the Rings who watched the bonus materials on the DVDs can perhaps see echoes of Anna's disorder in the mildly-OCD-like behavior of her son, Sean Astin.
A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness. More—and more concrete—information from Anna (aka Patty Duke).
You Mean I Don't Have to Feel This Way?. A good antidote against those who dismiss mental illness as a biochemical disorder (Maxine, this one's for you).
Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Many brilliant artists have suffered from bipolar affective disorder; people with bipolar affective disorder really do tend to be more creative, ambitious, engaging, etc. at least in the hypomanic phase. By Kay Redfield Jamison, who is herself bipolar.
An Unquiet Mind. More on bipolar affective disorder from Kay Redfield Jamison.
Tom-
So I'm very sympathetic to Britney and her plight. Let's not judge her...
It took me a while, but I think what might have inspired the idea that I was judging her may have been my use of the term "druggie".
I didn't intend it that way.
When I see Britney I do not see someone making choices. I see someone that has lost their ability to manage their own life. I do not presume she chooses to do that, rather I think she's been screaming for help for a couple of years, but for whatever reason (probably exploitation by her manager or other hangers on) people aren't giving her the help she needs.
I really do hope she gets the help she needs.
Tom,
Interesting story. For students who have said that they study and have not slept that is something different. I have been through a time where you just lay in bed willing your self to sleep and even stopping the racing thoughts, staring at nothing and it seemed impossible. Of course I had a husband who didn't even know me anymore because his job required so much travel he was only home on the weekends. And my brothers and sisters mom and dad knew me by weekly phone calls and visits four or five times a year. It became a problem to solve and no one wants to be that. And to depend on the kids was asking to much of them. Anyway, if I am officially bipolar or not doesn't matter. I have been labeled and it's hard convincing the masses how I see the world.
Perhaps I should forgive my husband about saying things like, "do we have to take you to the hospital?" and see what I saw as completely aggressive moves as a call for help. But I can actually. But I can't go back to that life with him because I've become comfortable in my crazier skin. You end up living a lonlier life. Sometimes you can go with the energy and sometimes not.
Really if all the hardworking Christians in America, I am singling them out not for ridicule but for a bit of awareness, would realize their bible has Jesus portrayed with a couple of these symptoms of disorder and they honor him for it.
No sleep, yelling at the disciples...yea.
Tom, thanks for the information. I hope that more people will realize that Britney needs some compassion and some help. Not talking about something means not talking about it. Let's hope she finds help out of the glare of the curious and the misinformed. You know, us.
I will not comment on Britney. No one should. She is may have the "disorder" and she may be acting for the public.
I believe in her doctor/patient confidentiality.
Amen.
Maybe there is some unusual brain disorder that murders sleep, but I doubt that it befell 2 big celebrities in a 2 week period.
I won't speculate in either the Ledger or Spears case. The manic phase of bipolar disorder is often associated with a very limited need for sleep. For quite a number of individuals with bipolar disorder, the manic phase is almost immediately followed by a deep depression. Some folks also experience mixed episodes where they almost simultaneously experience both the manic and depressive components of the disorder. Also, some folks can cycle very rapidly between manic and depressive states during the active phase of the disorder (e.g. extreme mood swings multiple times within a single day). Sometimes, bipolar disorder first becomes fully manifest in young adulthood. The point prevalance for bipolar depression is supposedly .7% and some respected research journals have repeatedly found that 10% of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder eventually die by suicide.
New parents go through a period of sleep deprivation. When my daughter was just days old, I was lucky to get 2 hours uninterrupted sleep at a stretch. Feeding, changing, cleaning, doing basic household chores, feeding, changing, washing, feeding.
After about 3 weeks of this, I was hallucinating and unable to distinguish between reality, dreams or the awake dreams I was experiencing. In fact I was a walking zombie and a danger to my child and myself.
You don't need drugs.....just get a baby.
I've had babies. It's true that you need to keep getting up for a few weeks in the beginning, but you still get those blocks of sleep. You're not staying up for days. You just have to put up with intervals of sleep. I think that's a lot different. Even a 20 minute nap can make a huge difference. This staying up for days straight is what I can't understand (in the absence of drugs). I understand manic-depression, and I've even read "An Unquiet Mind," but I still don't believe these people are staying up for days with no sleep at all.
"I still don't believe these people are staying up for days with no sleep at all."
Probably so, but the inability to get the deep REM sleep that we need in sufficient quantities to "recharge the batteries" is what wears them/us down and enhances whatever mental illnesses that they may have. Some people don't get the sleep for reasons of drugs, others because of stressful life situations, other because of infirmaties or illnesses like sleep apnea.
Years ago, I had a friend who was very involved with cocaine and who rarely ever slept for days at a stretch. He did this for months and months. He eventually ended up where Brittany is now after shooting his woodshed because he was convinced that there were green men in it who were going to kill him. Over those months he also build a barrier of garbage and other stuff in his home to keep him safe.
As to the incidence of bipolar being higher in entertainers I suspect you are correct. My friend was professional rock musician and even before the drugs was a manic personality.
I feel very sorry about Brittany and hope she gets the help she needs and that the media vampire and leeches will leave the poor woman alone. It will be a long hard road back for her.
I understand manic-depression, and I've even read "An Unquiet Mind," but I still don't believe these people are staying up for days with no sleep at all.
I have never read the "Unquiet Mind". I have worked in my share of psychiatric facilities and have observed individuals in the acute phases of severe bipolar, schizophrenic, and schizo-affective episodes. Again, not to speculate about Spears and Ledger, but I have known some floridly manic and psychotic individuals who have gotten zero sleep for three days or longer. Moreover, many, many individuals with severe mood disorders end up drawn to medications, either prescribed or not, in an effort to manage the systemic upheavals associated with the disorder. Just to add to an earlier post, I believe that there is a very strong biological-neurological component to bipolar disorder. My sense is that most people (>90%) do not have good knowledge of mental illness. Those who seem to have the most understanding are those who have suffered from severe mood and psychotic disorders and those who have devoted their lives to caring for them....and even some of these folks don't really know what they don't know.
about knowing and not knowing..
summed up in meet virginia.
intuition magic
confidence tragic
She went willingly because they doped her up. That's not consent. Without consent, they've got big problems.
The mother wants to gain Conservatorship so Mama can collect money. Mama sees her children as a piggy bank. UCLA also sees big dollar signs, but they'd better be careful, because they're facing huge lawsuits if she sues for malpractice....and she's got a great case!
BRITNEY CALL ME !!!!
If she had lawyers that were doing their job, they could file kidnapping charges, false imprisonment, and bring up all those nonsense psychiatrists on a Writ. A writ would spring her instantly.
One writ is all it takes....and that eliminates all future 5150s, too. A writ immedately triggers a Federal investigation into the County and the Psychiatrists. And, LA County doesn't want to be investigated, so they'll immediately wash their hands of the situation..... Once the writ is filed, you then send it to the Medical Board and hopefully get these loser psychiatrists will have their licenses revoked.
Anyone who's "treating" her is skating on thin ice.
None of them have consent.
Terrance -- I really doubt your claims that you've seen manic people go more than 3 days with no sleep at all, certianly not in a hospital setting.
You may have seen people who said they'd had no sleep for 4 or 5 days, but they'd very likely had a few minutes.
As I mentioned before, I've been manic. And, also as I mentioned, I've seen people try to stay awake for more than 3 days using drugs (benzidrine) in stessfull situations where their lives depended on it (combat) and failed.
The most likely explanatino for Spears and whats-his-name is just that the news reports are wrong. Gee, that's never happened before.
Wow, Maxine, "One writ is all it takes".
Good to see you're turning this blog back around into the Law Blog it's supposed to be.
Explain it to the nice men right here and they'll take you to the judge to get a writ.
Repressed memories are coming.
I'd like to recommend another book: "I am not sick, I don't need help!; How to help someone with mental illness accept treatment" revised and updated edition by Xavier Amador. Reading this changed my whole outlook on mental illness, and I thought I knew a lot about it, believe me, having so much of it in my family. I keep it handy, it's been so helpful.
And Tom, thank you so much for sharing your experience. You never know who you're going to touch.
Maxine, I can't figure out if you're a troll, or just a plain old run of the mill Narcissist.
Thanks for the kind words from several of you.
DaveW, I didn't mean to imply that you were judgmental, by the time I got down to that part of the post I had forgotten that I put your name at the beginning of the post- that particular line was addressed to those who are judgmental.
I have been drifting on the edge of hypomania today. My wife keeps asking, "Are you sure you're okay?" and anytime I share my condition with strangers that is always a warning sign.
You'll know it is a full blown mania when I find a semi-relevant thread here to post on and reveal to you all of the secrets of time, space, and our eternal relationships with each other and God.
"You'll know it is a full blown mania when I find a semi-relevant thread here to post on and reveal to you all of the secrets of time, space, and our eternal relationships with each other and God."
Hey pal, that's my rice bowl, find another joint to hang out in, or we will have words!
Back in my younger days I would do 24 hours up several days a week, 36 hours on a regular basis, 48 hours a number of times and 72 hours once. I drove to San Fran from Wichita straight thru in 33 hours and felt pretty good when I got there but went to bed after about 36 hours. After 48 hours you start to see things. At 72 hours I would see people in the corners of my eyes but when I looked directly there would be no one there. No matter what your medical condition, if you go more than a day or two with no sleep, your brain starts playing tricks on you. Anyone up 5 days with no sleep is more than likely taking something to stay awake. Whatever the reason, it isnt good for you.
Gary Carson said...
Terrance -- I really doubt your claims that you've seen manic people go more than 3 days with no sleep at all, certianly not in a hospital setting.
Obviously, I do not have first hand experience. I have reviewed files of inpatients on frequent nursing checks where it was reported that a patient has not slept for 48-72 hours. Although rarer in the hospital setting because of the easy access to physicians and meds.
I have also helped involuntarily commit individuals in acute stages of mania and/or psychoses who have caregivers that have claimed that they have not slept for days.
One is exposed to some pretty extreme psychological states when working in an emergency psychiatric setting of an urban public hospital.
While in the Army, I often went for several weeks with no more than two hours sleep per day. After a week like this I felt on the edge of violence all the time. After two weeks I was just a zombie. I'm glad that was during training, and we had no live ammunition because there were times that I might have zapped the next irritating person who bothered me. And after that first week everyone was irritating.
I HATE TO BE MEAN, BUT; SEEMS LIKE ALL THE GOOD ONES LEAVE US TOO EARLY, BUT THEN THERE'S THAT UN-TALENTED, TRASH WITH THE INITIALS OF ""B.S"" THAT YA KINDA WISH WOULD JUST DROP OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH !!!! I AM SO SICK & TIRED EVERY TIME I TURN ON SHOWS LIKE ENT. TONITE---ALL THEY TALK ABOUT IS ""POOR B.S.""--THIS AND THAT---THE STUPID BRAT LOVES ALL THE FREE PR, AND ALL THE ATTENTION, AND THIS STUFF ABOUT HER ENGLISH ACCENT ---YIKES !!!!!
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