Letters

Sunday, Sept. 01, 2002
    • I thank god that you published this story on bipolar youngsters [Behavior, Aug. 19]. Now if only the public would "get it" and understand this illness, which used to be referred to as manic depression. Three years ago, I lost my 19-year-old son to suicide. No one listened to me when I said he was mentally ill and needed help. People concentrated on his behavior, not to mention my parenting. Counselors, psychologists, a hospital mental ward (twice), psychiatrists — we went through all that before his diagnosis. All those years of trying to find help, fighting the system, and now I visit the cemetery twice a week. My pain will never go away. Something must be done!
    JAN WORTHEN
    Goffstown, N.H.

    I have no doubt that many valid cases of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression and bipolar disorder exist and need treatment. I fear, however, that we are overdiagnosing and overdrugging our kids at an alarming rate.
    KIM KLAYUM
    Eagan, Minn.


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    You have found the well over 1 million youngsters and their families who live with this disorder every day! These children experience suffering that no child should know. Thank you for opening a door that has been closed far too long. Our hope lies in the research that is so long overdue. These children are in desperate need of better treatment, medication and better outcomes.
    CHRISTINA P. FAY, PRESIDENT
    Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation
    Pawling, N.Y.

    I have suffered from this disorder since I was a child, and my life has been hell, even with four years of college. Many people who are bipolar live badly, without much money or any kind of career. We are mostly members of the underclass, tenants of trailer parks and people who do menial jobs. It is not easy. We are not, like bipolar author Lizzie Simon, part of the middle class. Sorry, but the happy ending she wrote about is simply not true for most of us. Manic-depressive illness usually ends badly.
    ALBERT BARR
    Seneca, S.C.

    I was distressed to see your checklist for helping parents recognize the warning signs of bipolar disorder. Like most teenagers, I am not happy 24/7. I can be happy, giddy, sad, mad, irritable. What teenager doesn't have emotions? One item on the list is being "very intuitive or very creative." Another is "poor handwriting." When did it become a warning sign to be creative? And if I had a nickel for every person in Fairfield County who has poor handwriting, I would be the next Bill Gates.
    DIANA LYNN, 15
    Redding, Conn.

    I've given copies of this article to my child's teachers, aunts, uncles and grandparents and, most important, to my child. Medication and therapy are the key starting points for treatment, but public education to correct the stigma associated with mental illness will help bring acceptance for bipolar and similar disorders. We need funds for research that will make the lives of these kids and their families hopeful and prosperous.
    ABIGAIL BULKLEY ROBERTS
    Hatfield, Mass.

    Has anyone looked at the role nutrition plays in bipolar disorder? With all the sweets and soft drinks children consume, it's hardly a surprise that they're running around in circles. I see kids as young as 9 frequenting the espresso carts that are on nearly every corner in my town. No wonder aggressive behavior is so prevalent. A change in diet may not cure these kids, but it would certainly go a long way toward alleviating the mood swings they experience.
    LORNA WOLVIN
    Rogue River, Ore.

    I call bipolar a disease, not a disorder, because it can kill. If I had known all the facts sooner, my daughter might still be alive. I hope that every doctor in the country will read this article.
    LORRAINE A. GFELLER
    Fairfield, Conn.

    Your article enraged me. i have several friends who have taken their two-year-olds to the doctor because they were afraid the kids could be bipolar. Hasn't anyone heard of the terrible twos?
    NICOLE CLARK
    Hayward, Calif.

    Inside an Embattled Society

    Until the past year, i supported a "two-state solution," with a so-called Palestinian state created in Gaza and the West Bank [World, Aug. 19]. As the homicide bombings continued, however, and I studied the history of the region and read more about Islam and its tenets, I changed my position. I now believe the separation of Jews and Arab Muslims is a matter of life and death. The Arab nations and those who call themselves "Palestinians" have made it clear that they cannot bring themselves — as Muslims — to live with or near their Jewish neighbors. It is time for the U.S. to support Israel in formally annexing Gaza and the West Bank and in relocating all Arabs living in those areas to Jordan or other Arab countries.
    BOB GORODETZER
    Warminster, Pa.

    I have never read such a one-sided and provocative description of the Palestinians. Your report almost seemed to condone terrorism. The Palestinian terrorists are ruthless. And the idyllic picture of Palestinians on the beach preparing for a soccer match was ludicrous!
    CHAIM SPIEGEL
    Tel Aviv

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