I thought it necessary to write the Congresswoman and tell her of my specific experience with the "disease"  Maybe she was meant to help the mentally ill. I think all of us should write her, regardless where we are. The more attention drawn to our plight, the better,  As always, God Speed Friends.  And this spam is annoying!!   

Dear Congresswoman Giffords:

I was very saddened to hear of the shooting incident and of the tradgedies and losses. I am however, happy to keep hearing the updates of your progress and say a prayer for you every day. You massaging your husbands neck made me cry. You are a true Moses. 

I am a 54 yo woman, the eldest of 4, who at the age of 12, found my dad almost lifeless at our kitchen table. He had tried to commit suicide by turning on a gas range at one of our model homes. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they eventually diagnosed him as schizophrenic he was on meds and made routine trips to the VA Psych Unit. I don't think the term bi-polar was used at that time but I could be wrong. My sister who is 8 yrs younger than myself suffered a breakdown at the age of 16. Diagnoses: bi-polar, schizo-affective w/bi-polar tendencies, bi-polar, etc., etc. It usually depended upon who saw her at any particular time.  Both of my parents passed at a young age, Dad at 55 (2 months before the birth of his first grandchildren (my now 22 yo twins) and mom in '95 at the age of 60.  I have always been the "caregiver" of the family. For the past 42 years of my life, I have seen this disease destroy people. If you do not have the insurance or money to see a private psychiatrist you have no other option than to seek help through state funded mental health.  It is not a pretty scene for the patient or their families.  They have rights, as they should. But something needs to be set up so that when family members - who DO KNOW what level of functioning their loved one normally is, can take them to the hospital BEFORE "they become a threat to themselves or someone else". By that time they are too far gone. Two Christmas' ago, my sister started cutting wires to the toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker (we phoned the police - we took video of her) and then she went out of the house in her underware was about to cut the outside Christmas lights which were on and an officer came and requested for her to drop the scissors several times.  She was confused and he tazed her 3x. What a horrible thing for her children to see. But to the hospital she was taken and within hours even with the video, her being tazed, etc. The hospital discharged her. Well in reality the mental health facility evaluated her (again, no one who actually knew her functioning level) and was discharged.  We have been playing this game of her going in & out of the hospital ever since and never getting to a psych hospital b/c they have no beds.  Back in 1986 a friend came over w/her brother as he needed to use a phone and hers wasn't in order. I HEARD him call Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse, NY begging for help, the reply on the other end back in 85 was "I'm sorry sir, we have no beds." That night he went home and bludgeoned his wife. We haven't come any closer to a solution from back in '86. It would seem to me that after 25 years mental health would have progressed. It has not.

My heart breaks for you and your family. However, this is a real problem in our Country and I am so very sorry that you had to play a part in it. I have accounts with NAMI, which doesn't help much also with Joey Pantiliano's NKM2.org.  If someone does not have a relative/friend afflicted with this disease, they have no way of knowing what goes on in the family dynamics.  Perhaps through you, something can be done to help these poor people and their families. I cannot tell you how many times I wished it had been me with the the bad genes and not my sister.

I pray for a speedy recovery for you and admire your strength. A friend of mine has a saying "God is Great and life is hysterical".  Thank you for listening.

Terri

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