Comments on: Picture This: Off His Meds

By: mb

mb — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:29:20 +0000

i have several mental ilnesses, one of them is bi-polor with scycosis(which means i get
violent,hyper, and it means i am out of touch with reality,but only when i dont take my meds.)so i understaand what the guy is like and why he did it, but i believe he was out of touch with reality and paranoid about surviving. believe me u have to have this horrible illness to fully understand it.

By: KDuba

KDuba — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:19:05 +0000

I can’t speak of all mental illness, just Bi-Polar Disorder. My understanding is that the meds make them feel so normal that they don’t see the need to take them. And they don’t want to hear that it’s the meds that are making them feel good.

Evey med my ex ever took, would at first make him sleep for days or weeks without hardly ever getting out of bed. Sadly, those were the times that were easiest for me cause I didn’t have to deal with him as much. That sounds horrible, I’m sure, but it’s the truth.

By: Jeanne From NC

Jeanne From NC — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:28:15 +0000

Anyone else see a slight resemblence to Erik Harris?

By: Terri

Terri — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:57:20 +0000

That’s right Melissa. The drug I’m speaking of is Seroquel. I think a lot of patients have trouble actually getting to the point where their body adjusts. Or they slack off for a weekend so they won’t sleep through it and lose progress. A lot of these meds cause weight gain too, which makes a lot of people not want to take it. I wish there were some better options.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:19:04 +0000

Sleeping like that to me would point to someone who has depression and isnt taking meds. There may be a transitional period where the meds may make them sleepy, but your body adjusts to that.

By: Terri

Terri — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:17:14 +0000

From what I’ve seen they are asleep 20 hours per day while on the meds. No wonder they don’t want to take them.

By: KDuba

KDuba — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:34:55 +0000

Compassrose, very good points. I have used excuses at times myself. And you’re so right, we’re leaving serious choices in the hands of the mentally ill. An I don’t think people become all sweet just because of their meds…a lot of the Bi-Polar meds are mood adjusters or something like that and not miracle pills.

It’s tough because it’s so sad that many people who suffer from mental illness just do not get the help they need. It’s like, let’s give ‘em pills and maybe they’ll go away. When do we really know that it’s mental illness and not just plain nastiness that’s at fault? I guess it’s like the toss of a coin and we can just hope we land on the lucky side.

I don’t know if any of the above came out the way I really wanted it to….lol.

And Terri, it is so hard to keep someone on their meds. They seem to feel so good and normal on them that they think they don’t need them.

By: gam

gam — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:58:03 +0000

Excellent points, KDuba and CRose…food for thought!

By: Terri

Terri — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:34:06 +0000

Yikes – KDuba. That’s rough. It is so hard to get them to stay on their meds.

By: Compassrose

Compassrose — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:21:20 +0000

KDuba, we all have used some excuse to shirk a responsibility. It seems we are at a true crossroad where people with very serious mental conditions can function if they are medicated, but then we are leaving that entire responsibility in the hands of individuals that have mental issues. Are they always truly capable of making those very serious choices? Will they take their meds when they need them? Even when the meds make them feel odd, or ill, or put a strain on their finances. Depending in their condition, that strikes me as a very precarious situation. And being on meds does not mean they will all become sweet and gentle, but if they act out they sure have a great excuse for their behaviors — the meds or not.