Bipolar Disorder

Dear Editor: Police should not have to kill people because they are mentally ill. An air marshal shot Rigoberto Alpizar to death at Miami-Dade airport on Dec. 7. He was not armed. So why was he shot? Because he claimed to have a bomb and refused orders to stop. Similar shootings have happened in Kentucky. In 2001, Officer Chris White was forced to shoot a suicidal man who pointed a gun at him at Fayette Mall in Lexington. The Miami air marshal acted appropriately as did Officer White.

Angela Grett has overcome the difficulties of being the child of a bipolar parent to become a nationally known author, consultant and speaker. Now she helps others with her educational presentation based on her book, "My Mother's Bipolar, So what Am I?" Grett will present her story 7 p.m. Aug. 28, under the auspices of the Danville Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, at the Community Arts Center. Grett will reveal the emotional, physical and mental toll this complicated disease takes on the children of bipolar parents.

Essay winners for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) held during Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 7-12, have been announced. All the winners are students at Clark Middle School.Winners were Logan McQuerry, who received a $150 gift card. His topic was "Saving the World and Coping with a Mental Illness," based on the life of Winston Churchill, former prime minister of Britain who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Second place was Tayloir Rose, who received a $75 gift card for his essay, "Our Founding Father.

STANFORD - Those who struggle with mental illness, and their families, will now have a place in Stanford for support and education. A chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness has formed to serve the people of Lincoln and Garrard counties, and there will be a kick-off at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Lincoln County Courthouse. Deb Rowe, president of the newly formed NAMI chapter, invites family members and anyone affected by mental illness to stop by and learn about the organization.

A Winchester woman who left her daughter's home at 4 p.m. on Monday and had not been heard from since that time has been located in the University of Louisville Hospital. Christie Santos said her mother, Estella Chambers, 59, suffers from bipolar disorder and became upset Monday afternoon when she was questioned about her medication. She drove away from the home in a 1992 Nissan Sentra leaving behind her medication, her purse and her driver's license. The vehicle was spotted early Tuesday in Louisville but because 24 hours had not passed, which was necessary for her to be listed as missing, the vehicle was not checked.

A Winchester woman walked out of her daughter's home Monday, drove away in her 1992 Nissan Sentra and has not been seen since. According to Christie Santos and Kimminee Costello, their mother, Estella Chambers, 59, suffers from bipolar disorder and had been living with Santos at her home at 3622 Stamper Drive. "She became upset when I questioned her about her medicine, picked up a plastic bag and walked out about 4 p.m. Monday. We have not seen her nor heard from her since that time.

Dear editor, Oct. 7-13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. It is a time to learn about serious mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Mental illnesses are medical illnesses that affect all communities. One in four adults experiences a mental health problem in any given year.  One in 17 adults lives with a serious mental illness. Many people in our community are directly affected by mental illness. The good news is treatment is available, it does work and it saves lives.

Dear Editor, At this time of year it seems as though every weekend brings a number of awareness/fundraiser walks for charitable organizations. Each one contributes to the benefit of our community. However, this is a special request to participate in the third annual Walk for Recovery on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. in Millennium Park. The event is sponsored by NAMI Danville, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. When we held our first walk three years ago, our sole purpose was to raise awareness concerning brain disorders and to emphasize the need for early diagnosis and treatment, and to commit to eradicating the stigma that accompanies illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, schizophrenia, and behavioral and personality disorders.

Dear Editor, We should not force someone to choose between mental health treatment and God. God and church congregations, plus mental health treatment can help tremendously those who are suffering from the debilitating effects of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and anxieties/phobias. Untreated mental illnesses cost people their jobs and interpersonal relationships. I come from a large extended family whose members have experienced a great deal of mental illness.

Boyle seniors participate in health campaign The U.S. Administration on Aging will start a new campaign called "You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging. " The campaign aims to boost physical activity and improve food choices among older Americans, and is based on growing awareness among public health officials and medical experts that even modest improvements in diet and activity can promote healthy aging. "AoA really understands our community and the people we serve," said Jackie Sims, executive director of Danville-Boyle County Gathering Place for Senior Adults.

Dear editor, Oct. 7-13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. It is a time to learn about serious mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Mental illnesses are medical illnesses that affect all communities. One in four adults experiences a mental health problem in any given year.  One in 17 adults lives with a serious mental illness. Many people in our community are directly affected by mental illness. The good news is treatment is available, it does work and it saves lives.

Dear Editor, At this time of year it seems as though every weekend brings a number of awareness/fundraiser walks for charitable organizations. Each one contributes to the benefit of our community. However, this is a special request to participate in the third annual Walk for Recovery on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. in Millennium Park. The event is sponsored by NAMI Danville, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. When we held our first walk three years ago, our sole purpose was to raise awareness concerning brain disorders and to emphasize the need for early diagnosis and treatment, and to commit to eradicating the stigma that accompanies illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, schizophrenia, and behavioral and personality disorders.

NAMI Danville will host a community "walk in the park" Thursday evening at Millennium Park to raise awareness about mental illness. Registration is at 6 p.m., and the walk will begin at 6:30. Lois Anderson, president of the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, estimates more than 1,500 families in Boyle County alone have at least one family member with a brain disorder (mental illness). The figure is based on the U.S. Census report that some 7,800 families live in Boyle County.

LANCASTER - Kirstie Arnold, the 28-year-old Lancaster woman who was jailed by a Garrard County judge for wearing shorts into the courtroom, appeared before the same judge Tuesday, this time in jeans. On Aug. 25, Garrard District Judge Janet Booth sentenced Arnold to three days of temporary detention for wearing shorts that Booth described as in complete disregard of a court order. Court officials maintain that Arnold was warned by Booth not only once before for wearing an inappropriate shirt, but a second time for wearing shorts considered inappropriate for court.

Angela Grett has overcome the difficulties of being the child of a bipolar parent to become a nationally known author, consultant and speaker. Now she helps others with her educational presentation based on her book, "My Mother's Bipolar, So what Am I?" Grett will present her story 7 p.m. Aug. 28, under the auspices of the Danville Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, at the Community Arts Center. Grett will reveal the emotional, physical and mental toll this complicated disease takes on the children of bipolar parents.

Dear Editor, We should not force someone to choose between mental health treatment and God. God and church congregations, plus mental health treatment can help tremendously those who are suffering from the debilitating effects of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and anxieties/phobias. Untreated mental illnesses cost people their jobs and interpersonal relationships. I come from a large extended family whose members have experienced a great deal of mental illness.

Essay winners for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) held during Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 7-12, have been announced. All the winners are students at Clark Middle School.Winners were Logan McQuerry, who received a $150 gift card. His topic was "Saving the World and Coping with a Mental Illness," based on the life of Winston Churchill, former prime minister of Britain who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Second place was Tayloir Rose, who received a $75 gift card for his essay, "Our Founding Father.

A Winchester woman who left her daughter's home at 4 p.m. on Monday and had not been heard from since that time has been located in the University of Louisville Hospital. Christie Santos said her mother, Estella Chambers, 59, suffers from bipolar disorder and became upset Monday afternoon when she was questioned about her medication. She drove away from the home in a 1992 Nissan Sentra leaving behind her medication, her purse and her driver's license. The vehicle was spotted early Tuesday in Louisville but because 24 hours had not passed, which was necessary for her to be listed as missing, the vehicle was not checked.

A Winchester woman walked out of her daughter's home Monday, drove away in her 1992 Nissan Sentra and has not been seen since. According to Christie Santos and Kimminee Costello, their mother, Estella Chambers, 59, suffers from bipolar disorder and had been living with Santos at her home at 3622 Stamper Drive. "She became upset when I questioned her about her medicine, picked up a plastic bag and walked out about 4 p.m. Monday. We have not seen her nor heard from her since that time.

Dear Editor: Police should not have to kill people because they are mentally ill. An air marshal shot Rigoberto Alpizar to death at Miami-Dade airport on Dec. 7. He was not armed. So why was he shot? Because he claimed to have a bomb and refused orders to stop. Similar shootings have happened in Kentucky. In 2001, Officer Chris White was forced to shoot a suicidal man who pointed a gun at him at Fayette Mall in Lexington. The Miami air marshal acted appropriately as did Officer White.