Finally watched the Disappeared episode. I ended up purchasing it on Amazon, since I couldn't find any other way to watch it (only to later learn there's a way around the You Tube block). Anyway, lots to say, so I'll try to make this easy to read.
1) I TAKE VYVANSE: I thought it would be helpful to put this here so anyone with questions about the drug can ask, although I have a limited perspective on it. I do NOT have ADD/ADHD, so I can somewhat attest to what it feels like for someone like Bryce. There are other labeled uses for the drug. My Dr. watches me very closely, and I take 50mg, which is not even the highest dose. The pharmacist has told me that one pill lasts for about 24 hours, and even on the 50 mg early in the morning I can still have trouble sleeping and have considered switching back to 30. I have also had issues with depressive episodes coming down from the pill even on the same day, so I can only imagine the effects of taking multiple pills, of the highest dose, for days at a time.
2) FAMILY DENIAL: I ALSO have a perpetually suicidal family member, unfortunately. Someone who has multiple diagnoses, also dual diagnoses (tries to self medicate with alcohol and pills), and goes through cycles of great times, then suicide attempts. I could go on forever about my experiences with mental illness, but my point here is that there are members of our family who are absolutely in denial during these episodes. People have asked how Bryce's mother could have thought he sounded okay on the phone, why she thought it was a good idea for him to drive, etc., and this reminds me so much of issues we've dealt with in our family. Sometimes, those closest to a person have the hardest time seeing things objectively. I also know that my suicidal family member can seem to "snap out of" their odd behavior if confronted with contact by family or law enforcement and can present as fine, even at hospitals and in front of doctors, only to follow through with a plan shortly after. I also know that someone who is in any type of troubled state of mind often does things that make no sense whatsoever, so having his home address plugged into the GPS does not necessarily mean anything. It may have been a thought that popped into his head at one moment and was gone the next, or he may have done it and not even known why. Same goes for any of his actions that night. Sure, he may have been carefully contemplating suicide for 13 hours, but I tend to believe a lot of that time he didn't even necessarily know what he was doing.
3) WHY THE FAMILY DIDN'T MAKE THE DRIVE: In hindsight it's certainly frustrating that they probably could have driven to BW and met up with Bryce, but they only knew he was sitting there that whole time after the fact. I was surprised to learn in the episode just how many times he was contacted by someone up there, as I hadn't remembered all the different times with Christian or LE, but we have to remember that, at the time, his parents thought he was on his way in between each of those times. Had they known he was going to stay put for 13 hours, of course driving there would have made sense. The other element to throw into the situation is that they wouldn't have wanted Bryce to have any idea that they were headed his way. That would mean that someone should probably stay home to answer the landline in case he called, so as not to tip him off. In a 3-hour drive, lots could happen, anyway. They could have gotten all the way there and been just streets away from Bryce and never managed to hook up with him. Lots of variables, and I can see why they didn't do it, being that at the time he wasn't telling them the truth about where he really was.
4) THE LAKE, ETC.: It's so hard for me to believe he's not in that lake. I know they say they've done extensive searches, but how possible is it, really, to be that confident in that large of a body of water? I guess something to think about, though, is that if he were to have just wandered into the lake and killed himself that way, his body would likely be close to shore and probably WOULD have been found. I guess a person could have swum to the middle of the lake before intentionally drowning, though, and KS did say he was a good swimmer. I don't know. It just amazes me that anyone could say with certainty that he is not in that entire lake. I would love it if he's not, though. I really want to believe the tracking dogs who lost him at the truck stop. Sadly, though, at this point I believe that even if that were the case, he has probably taken his life elsewhere. I think of Bradyn Fuksa. His plan was obviously to commit suicide, but for whatever reason he abandoned his car, hitched a ride, and did so in a random location.