How to Manage Mental Illness: My Hope and Faith

By Katherine M. Chin

In How to Manage Mental Illness, the author presents readers with a personal and autobiographical story about her journey with mental illness. Diagnosed as bipolar, the author walks readers through both her own and others’ stories of navigating the sometimes difficult terrain of the mental-health community. Because many of those who suffer from mental illness are faced with limited resources and a strong social stigma, the author shows readers how to overcome some of these limitations and live a happy, healthy, and flourishing life with mental illness. The book offers practical guidance and advice, as well as commentary about the state of the mental-health profession and community.

Katherine M. Chin, a native of San Francisco, formerly worked as an accounts payable accountant. She received her Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from San Francisco State University.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: May 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483430775

Book preview

HOW TO MANAGE

MENTAL ILLNESS

My Hope and Faith

Katherine M. Chin

Copyright © 2015 Katherine M. Chin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3078-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3077-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906781

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/29/2015

Contents

1.   Mental Health System

2.   Living with Mental Illness

3.   What is Bipolar Disorder

4.   Misdiagnosed

5.   My Bipolar Mania

6.   Bipolar Again

7.   Medications

8.   Nutrition and Exercise

9.   UCSF Langley Porter Institute

10.   Early Years

11.   Dr. L

12.   My Family

13.   Friends

14.   Stigma

15.   Myths and Facts

16.   Suicide

17.   Religion

18.   Conclusion

Resources

Chapter 1

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Mental Health System

We have fewer psychiatric hospital beds and fewer outpatient-treatment options in the United States. There are restrictions to use medications that can and do help those who are mentally ill. There are too few psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, especially child and adolescent specialists who deal with the mentally ill. There are fewer people who are trained and specialize in treating the seriously mentally ill.

We have too many barriers that prevent doctors from communicating with parents of sons and daughters who have persistent serious mental illnesses. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 1996 was passed and not implemented until 2003-04. It helps people with health-care payments and employment, and it also helps people keep their health insurance when out of work for eighteen months. Note: In California, Calcobra is in place to keep health insurance in place after Cobra is over. HIPAA also prevents health care fraud abuse, provides administrative simplification, and offers medical-liability reform.

Privacy is important between the doctors and patients. HIPPA has helped as well as hindered families from getting the care their loved ones need. First of all, I believe that a person living with mental illness is responsible to tell their loved ones that they are mentally ill unless this information will be used against them. There are consequences in not disclosing this information. Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania is vice chairman of Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigating, where he created bill HR 3717, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. He is trying to focus programs and resources on providing psychiatric care to patients and families most in need of services. He’s been holding hearings almost all of 2014.

I met ST and heard about his daughter CT’s story. ST once loved a woman, but she did not disclose she was a paranoid schizophrenic. Her parents did not disclose that either. He loved and married her. She was on her medications and he was unaware of her condition until their baby was born. He read her chart, which was given to him by her doctor to give to the obstetrician. She was off her medication for the entire nine months she was pregnant. After two weeks of breast feeding, she stopped her medications. He knew something was not right. If only he was told by her psychiatrist about her medical condition then he would have done something about the one he once loved.

HIPAA gives doctors and patients the right to share information. If that patient does not allow his or her family member or members to share that information, it is up to the doctor’s discretion to disclose that information. However, doctors know they are bound to HIPAA to not disclose. They could be fined for thousands or millions of dollars.

I feel that each state should have an independent county review board to let family members be heard and get their medical information as