i just woke up dead
a memoir
by Justin Donner
mental illness
sex drugs alcohol
watch the trailer with scenes
only available in the book!
research published in Clinical Neuropsychiatry
indicates that suicide rates in bipolar disorder patients
are more than 25 times higher
than the genearl population
bipolar disorder affects approximately
2.6% of americans age 18+ in a given year
the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s
statistics from johns hopkins university
each year almost 10% of american adults age 18+
will suffer from a depressive illness
the average age when major depression develops is the mid-20s
mania
depression
most people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder -- most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder
4 times as many men than women commit suicide
however women attempt suicide more often than men
statistics from emory university
864,950 people attempt suicide in america each year
1 person attempts suicide every 38 seconds
It is estimated that 3.7% of the U.S. population
8.3 million people had thoughts of suicide
in the past year
1.0% of the population 2.3 million people
develop a suicide plan
0.5% 1 million people attempt suicide
particularly at risk for ideation and attempt:
male - white - under the age of 21
Treatment for depression is very effective
however less than 25 percent of people with depression receive adequate care
stigma persists while those seeking treatment
may be hesitant because of widely-held beliefs
reports by medical contributors on pyschcentral.com attempt to debunk these myths
(for the full report on myths click either button: "psychcentral" or "read more")
myth: bipolar disorder and depression are completely different diagnoses
fact: bipolar disorder and depression are not completely different illnesses
why this stigma is harmful:
patients who believe this myth may oppose diagnosis and treatment
if they do not exhibit "full blown" manic-depressive mood swings
myth: people with bipolar disorder are not trying hard enough
fact: bipolar is a serious medical illness
why this stigma is harmful:
this implyies that bipolar disorder is a choice
bipolar is no more of a choice than diabetes - but help is available
addiction
2013 statistics from the NIAAA:
24.6 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month
6.8 percent reported that they engaged in heavy drinking in the past month
NIAAA definitions -
binge: 4-5 drinks (reaching 0.08 BAC) within 2 hours
heavy: 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days
“risky” drinking: reaching a peak BAC
between .05 gram percent and .08 gram percent
...but what about the real addicts and alcoholics?
who only drinks 5 drinks in 2 hours reaching a 0.08 BAC?
while fighting demons in ijwd
statistics from the NIAAA only increased stigma
made substance abuse a shameful secret
for the hard-core addicts and alcoholics -
i just woke up dead is for you
booze - cocaine - meth - opiates - pills - weed - needles
it is not pretty and recovery is not easy or likely
but it is possible
