wendybtn
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- Aug 13, 2014
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This article has a lot of important info I hadn't read anywhere else---
The article mentions that she has bipolar disorder and her health insurance recently dropped coverage on some of her medication, forcing her to switch to different drugs. This is HUGE in my opinion. My mom has BD & even the smallest change in her medication can trigger a manic episode.
It's not always clear to others when someone is heading into a manic episode. Some people with BD seem to go from 0-100 quickly, while others experience mania more gradually. If the medication changes triggered a manic episode, that would actually explain a lot.
The article also says the guy who dropped her off at the store the next day met her in a bar and she'd spent the night with him. He also said she was acting belligerent before he dropped her off.
All of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance SCREAM mania to me --- the strange behavior she exhibited in front of the grocery store, the risky behavior (getting drunk and sleeping with a man you just met in a bar while you're happily engaged to someone else), scatterbrained thoughts (leaving your keys and coat in a stranger's car, leaving your purse and phone in yours, being barefoot in the parking lot of the store), the weird random items that she purchased (energy drinks, string cheese, & birthday candles). After learning about the BP diagnosis and that her meds were recently changed, I strongly believe that's what happened here.
She was manic, engaged in risky behavior, and sadly, who knows what from there. She could have convinced herself of any number of things and harmed herself unintentionally, or she could have jumped in the car with someone and be halfway across the country, or someone could have taken advantage of her obviously fragile mindset and harmed her. It makes me sad, but I'm really worried that her BP disorder may have been the catalyst here.
Also, mixing alcohol, energy drinks, and drugs, whether prescription or otherwise, can be a straight shot to a respiratory arrest.