Mental health awareness month: "You have to watch and manage"

May 02--Editor's note: As part of National Mental Health Awareness Month, The Republican-Herald interviewed Schuylkill County residents affected by mental illnesses and is publishing a series of articles detailing their struggles and how they manage each day. The goal is to raise awareness about mental health. At the request of those interviewed, full names were not used.

A graduate of a local high school, Bob was three weeks into his freshman year at Temple University when his mother got a telephone call.

"I got a call in the middle of the night that they took him to the hospital," his mother, Colleen, said Friday.

She said that she was told her son was acting strange and giving away his belongings. Concerned for his health, someone called an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital.

"I immediately drove to Philadelphia," she said.

Even before she was able to see her son, Colleen said she got another call a few hours later informing her that Bob was taken to Fairmount Behavioral Health System, Philadelphia, where he was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

"He never had any signs," Colleen said. "He was just a normal teenager in high school. He did well in school and athletics. It was his dream to go to Temple. He was there about three weeks and had a psychotic breakdown. Early adulthood is when it usually breaks in males."

Bob's diagnosis came nearly five years ago. His family has no history of mental illness.

"If you never dealt with it, you never think about it," Colleen said. "You worry about your children being in car accidents. It is not something you usually think about."

Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally, according to the Mayo Clinic. It may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior.

Schizophrenia is a chronic condition, requiring lifelong treatment. It's not known what causes schizophrenia, but researchers believe that a combination of genetics and environment contributes to development of the disorder.

Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression), according to the Mayo Clinic. Although bipolar disorder is a disruptive, long-term condition, it can kept in check by following a treatment plan that includes medication and psychological counseling.

"I remember the first thing he said to me, 'There is my mom,' and that he looked both ways before crossing the street and I would be proud of him," Colleen said. "He was like a child and couldn't rationalize or think as clearly. His mind raced. You could see his mind moving 100 mph. It was devastating. He was never in any shape or form violent or nasty. He would just get frustrated."

Bob was temporarily committed to Fairmount for three days. Colleen said that because he was not a threat to himself or anyone else, he could not be legally forced to stay. However, she wanted him to stay for another three weeks to properly adjust his medication and get help managing the illness.

"I didn't know how I would keep him safe if I were to take him home," Colleen said.

Now five years later and on the dean's list at a smaller college, Bob said he still doesn't remember every detail from that day and recalled the first few weeks at Temple.

"There was a lot going on," he said Friday. "There was always stuff to do. I was constantly distracted from class."

On the day he went to the hospital, Bob said Temple was playing Penn State in a football game.

"I misplaced my tickets," he said. "I couldn't find them. I basically walked around the city and I haven't slept much or ate much. When I got back to the dorm, I fell asleep watching the game in the lounge. I seemed like a crazy mess."

Bob said he remembered waking up at the psychiatric hospital and feeling better with some sleep.

"I was more confused than anything," he said.

He took a medical leave from school to return home, where he eventually took a job delivering pizza.

"It was a rough couple years after that until he got everything together," Colleen said.

"His biggest thing is keeping busy and staying focused and getting sleep," she said. "If he keeps busy and keeps his mind structured, he can deal with it."

Bob is now finishing his third year at a new school and has a 3.6 cumulative GPA. He is majoring in math and philosophy and wants to enlist in the U.S. Air Force and use that as a stepping stone to get his master's degree in engineering.

"I think I am completely normal and it was just a weird episode," he said.

Although he does not fully agree with his diagnosis, Bob said transferring to a smaller school definitely made a difference.

"It's not as stressful," he said. "There aren't as many distractions. I think it was more the setting than me. I think it was just the wrong place at the wrong time for me. There was just too much going on."

Colleen said it is difficult to think about the years he lost at school trying to manage the illness, but she is proud that he was able to return to school and continue following his dream.

"He is above and beyond what I ever hoped for when it started," she said. "It is just like anything else, like diabetes, you just have to watch and manage, change your lifestyle a little and manage."

Colleen said the Schuylkill County chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness helped her get a better understanding of mental illness and allowed her to meet other parents who have gone through similar situations.

"I wish more people would come and take advantage of the information at these meetings," Colleen said. "I would like to get rid of the stereotypes about it. It happens to a lot of people. A lot of them just don't like to talk about it. You can have a mental illness and still be a perfectly wonderful person in society. It doesn't change the type of person you are."

NAMI is a nationwide grassroots advocacy group, representing families and people affected by mental disorders throughout the United States, according to the nonprofit organization's website at www.nami.org. The Schuylkill County chapter can be reached by calling 570-527-6345.

___

(c)2016 the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.)

Visit the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.) at republicanherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.