My Bipolar Journey

The summer of 2023 begins with pneumonia. I was driving to Florida and couldn’t stop coughing so I went into the Brockville General Hospital. They did a series of tests and they told me it was pneumonia and gave me a prescription. I said to the doctor that I was going to drive home to Montreal but she said to stay in Brockville for a couple of nights, so I did. I went to bed at 330pm in the afternoon and woke up at 330pm the next day. But my manic behavior ramped up. Manic behavior is a symptom of bipolar I disorder characterized by a distinct period of abnormally elevated, euphoric, or irritable mood and high energy lasting at least a week. Key behaviors include a decreased need for sleep, rapid speech, racing thoughts, extreme distractibility, grandiosity, and impulsive, risky actions like lavish spending or reckless investments.

Then I was fired from my dream on air radio job due to my comportment. I made suggestions to my girlfriend that were inappropriate. There was an altercation with the owner of a store. The police incidents continued and I racked up 5 arrests, all for verbal harassment. And then came something that I never dreamed possible. Prison. I hired a criminal lawyer who turned out to be my savior. As he said, mania is not knowing the difference between right or wrong