This is the Beginning......I think....

There really is a ton of research out there on bipolar and other psychiatric disorders, as well as on addiction. Both have been recognized illnesses throughout modern medical history. When Tim first began to show clear signs of mental health problems, I mistakenly assumed that treatment would take the form of counseling. When I realized he was abusing drugs, I naively thought that chemical dependency counseling would “fix” the problem. Not so fast. Although there is a wealth of research on both addiction and mental health, their roots and causes and treatment suggestions, it is often confusing or contradictory research. For instance, older research on bipolar suggested that it was caused by abnormalities in brain chemistry. More recent research indicates that the cause of bipolar may actually be in the mis-wiring in certain synapses in the brain. I have even read recent studies, which suggest that chronic inflammation may play a role, and certainly, it is a long held scientific belief that bipolar has a genetic factor. You’re either born with the gene or not, and if you have an immediate family member with bipolar (my son does), you are more likely to have the bipolar gene. So how can a psychiatric disease be caused by chronic inflammation, and also by a mis-wired brain? The answer, I think, is that we just don’t know. The nature of body chemistry and brain function is an elusive bit of science. Addiction is equally as well researched and misunderstood illness as bipolar. Most research supports the idea of an “addiction gene”. Like bipolar, there is a familial trait within some people, that makes them more likely to become addicted to things. All kinds of things. I have read about people who are addicted to food, to pulling their hair out, to sex, to gambling. Those born with an addiction gene appear to be more likely to engage in repetitive, harmful behavior. These behaviors provide a satisfactory feeling in the brain and change the way the neurotransmitters communicate, encouraging the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. When it comes to drug addiction, there is most certainly a chemical or structural factor involved. Drug addicts appear to have either a lack of certain “feel-good” chemicals in their brain, or the connection between the “feel-good” receptors works improperly. When an addict uses the drug, they often report feeling “normal”. They are, in fact, searching to replace the normal brain chemistry that the rest of the population takes for granted. The problem with using chemicals to “feel good”, of course, is that the very drugs that make an addict feel good, (including prescribed medication and street drugs), can cause additional harm to an addicted brain. With repeated exposure to chemical substances, the human brain appears to change the way it receives pleasure. Once this physical addiction occurs, the drug of choice is the only pleasure input that works. The contradiction in current addiction research, in my opinion, is that idea of addiction being a genetic predisposition negates the important role the environment plays. Not all addicts grew up in crack houses, or to alcoholic parents, but the ability to access a chemical high isn’t always present. So if someone is born with the addiction gene, and has a chemical flaw in their brain, but are never presented with the opportunity to use drugs, what happens? The jury is still out. Some theories suggest that as many as 90% of addicts suffer underlying mental health issues. Meaning, besides the addiction gene, they additionally have bipolar or depression or anxiety. These underlying mental health disorders, particularly when left untreated, act as an impetus for drug-seeking behavior. And in the case of my son, mental health disorders can cause impulsive behavior, increase risk-taking, and impair judgement prior to any drug being used. Some other current research indicates that many mental health issues are “triggered” by pervasive childhood trauma, meaning that someone can be born with a predisposition to bipolar that quietly lays dormant until some event or issue of significant proportion activates it, or speeds the progression, or worsens the effects. This was true for my son as well. Throughout late adolescence and his teens, Timothy experienced a series of traumatic events that were both mind numbing and life-altering. Could these have been the “triggers” that set him on this path we are on now? I think it is certain. Although current research doesn’t give us all the answers, most opinions of the day are that both addiction and mental health have both biological and environmental factors. This is why both are so difficult to understand. It is also why “experts” have such conflicting views on treatment, and critically, why public perception of these illnesses is so pervasively harsh. It is also what it makes our story so difficult to start. Odds are, even if you aren’t aware of it, you are in contact with people who suffer from mental illness. Odds are, even if you don’t know it, there are addicts in your family and in your social realm. Odds are, they are struggling even more than they otherwise would because you don’t know, because of the stigma attached to these issues, and because of the misinformation and misconceptions surrounding them. I am not sure which of the biological indicators Tim has for mental illness or addiction, as there are no conclusive medical tests for either at the current time. I do know that there have been signs since childhood that I consistently missed. His reluctance to socialize, his volatile mood swings and his periods of (near genius) productivity were apparent for as long as I can recall. The fact that I missed or dismissed these things for years has been forefront in my mind all along this journey, and it is one of the reasons that Tim and I recently decided to openly share his struggles, which we’d always held so private. Maybe Tim’s story is like your daughter’s story, or your friend’s story or your father’s story. Maybe our story is just like yours