Shaping Families

Living with Bipolar

“…It didn’t ask on the applications for Ph.D. programs, are you mentally ill? So I told no one ‘cause I went in the closet. I was hiding. I was running from the stigma, the shame of being mentally ill.” -- Risdon Slate

Risdon Slate is an accomplished professional in the field of criminology. He has published a book teaches at Florida Southern University, and has testified before Congress. He also suffers from bipolar disorder and has spent time in prison. His life mirrors that of many persons with bipolar disorder – it is a life of a lot of ups and a lot of downs.

Listen - Transcript - Study Guide

Media Matters

Steve Carpenter

There are a lot of very dramatic films dealing with criminal justice, prison and mental illness. Off the top of my head I can think of three noteworthy examples: Dead Man Walking, The Shawshank Redemption and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. None of them is current but they’re all well worth watching.

But, rather than focusing on Hollywood productions, I’d like to talk about an excellent documentary, produced in 2009 called Long Road Back: Ex-Offenders’ Struggle for Acceptance.

Current Offer: Booklet on Bipolar Disorder
Information and resources about bipolar disorder.

Online
Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System (from NAMI)

Mental Illness? Go to Jail.

My interview with Risdon Slate, Professor of Criminology at Florida Southern College, was a revealing insight into the inner workings of the criminal justice system. Having been both a probation officer and incarcerated for a manic episode in 1986, he speaks from personal experience.

How does a family function when one parent struggles with major depression? Next week we talk to one family who has managed to make it work and share their experience of struggle and success with us.

Goldwinger's Seven-Grain Bread

Host Burton Buller and his wife ended a long motorcycle trip at the home of friends in Saskatchewan, Canada. Burton says: “When we arrived at their house, we were treated to a great meal of soup and bread. While the soup was good, it was the bread that really stood out."

• Shaping Families Update - May 12
• Shaping Families Update - May 5
• Shaping Families Update - April 28
• Shaping Families Update - April 21

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