Dear Editor,
I am bipolar. I am not abnormal, just different. Persons who are bipolar suffer at times from very severe depression. At other times they are euphoric. Most of the time, their mood is like that of other people (normal?)
The depression of bipolar persons is very severe. Your world is dark and dismal. You want to be alone. No family, no friends. You do not want to know what is going on in the world. You live in your own world. You are not only very sad, you are in utter despair. You think that you will lose everything you have. In fact, there are no words to describe the way you feel. The periods of depression can last for hours, for days, for weeks, for months, sometimes even for years.
When you are manic, most people with bipolar are euphoric. The world is wonderful. Everything is marvellous. You love everyone and everyone loves you. The joy you feel is also very difficult to describe. However, some bipolar persons do no become euphoric. They become easily irritated. They are constantly trying to fix everything they see that is going wrong in the world. They are very busy, have no time to eat or sleep. Their minds just keep racing.
After a few days, you get so tired that you collapse and sleep for a few hours and then it starts all over again. Alcohol is a depressant, so you drink a lot to “bring you down” as I refer to it. Of course, you get in trouble with everyone, your family, your friends and your co-workers. You lose your job and you are labelled “crazy.”
At times you become psychotic. You see and hear people who are not there (hallucinations). When that happens, you are admitted to a psychiatric institution, as you could harm yourself and others. You spend weeks, sometimes months there. You are well taken care of, but of course, you lose your freedom; in fact you are in jail.
With the medicines that we now have, bipolar patients can be treated to the extent that they can lead normal lives. They can work. Some are doctors, lawyers, etc. However, there is still a great stigma in society concerning persons with a psychiatric illness. Whenever I have a chance I speak of psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. on radio and television, and I write articles in newspapers.
I think it is very important that everyone understands that persons with a psychiatric illness are like everyone else, just a little different. Like all persons are different, not one psychiatric patient is like the other, and that is why their treatment has to be personalized. That is indeed a very difficult and tedious task and many psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses simply do not have the time or the patience to do that, although most of them try their best.
In Sint Maarten we have an institution called Mental Health Foundation of Sint Maarten. This foundation was founded a few years ago. Many persons worked at this, but Dr. Judith Arndell and Nurse Eileen Heily are certainly the ones who should be mentioned. We have 2 excellent psychiatrists and a number of excellent psychiatric nurses now working at the foundation.
We also have an association founded by patients themselves, which organizes several things that we can do together. The association is our association. We have a board and Claire Elshot is our director. The Mental Health Foundation also has a board. Dr. F. Holiday is director of the board. The foundation organizes things for patients to do during daytime. Psychotic patients can be hospitalized at the foundation in Cay Hill if necessary.
Formerly we were sent to prison for a few days and then shipped out to Curaçao to “Monte Cristo” as the psychiatric hospital there is known (Dr. R. Capriles Clinic). Thank God that does not happen anymore. It was inhuman! But let bygones be bygones.
Thank you for taking time to read this. Anyone can get a psychiatric illness. So it is important that people know and understand more about these illnesses.
Dr. Neville H. de Weever LaBega
