Lariat
SADDLEBACK & IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGES’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOLUME 46, ISSUE 4 | WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2014 IN-DEPTH REPORT:
A former student’s journey from victim to victor while living with bipolar disorder. Kristen Wilcox
iPad Editor
Suicide
“ is the number one cause of premature death among people with
bipolar disorder
, with 15 percent to 17 percent taking their own lives as a result of negative symptoms that come from
untreated illness.” (http://bit.ly/1iqn1Uj)
50 percent
“ of people with bipolar disorder have some history of
violent
behavior. Bipolar
patients are prone to agitation that may result in impulsive aggression during
manic and mixed episodes. However,
depressed states, which can involve intense dysphoria with agitation and irritability, may also carry a risk of violent behavior.” (http://www.psychiatrictimes. com)
M
ichael has a smile on his face but is speaking quietly. Dressed in a plaid shirt and khakis, he looks like any other middle-aged dad. Laugh lines and frown marks paired with the missing tip of a finger tell as much of a story as anybody’s face. Pressing on a soundboard with headphones on, he begins to speak. “Radio, if you were to go way back to my childhood, at the age of five I first encountered a radio set…That very moment I heard that song, it brought a smile to my face. It was the only thing to make me smile...” When Michael was released from jail in early 2000 he had nothing. Desperate for any type of direction, someone mentioned he visit the Mental Health Association (MHA) in Santa Ana. This would be the first time Michael is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder A and would receive treatment, and the first time Michael got a fighting chance for control over his mood swings, addiction and rage. “I was really devastated. I didn’t have a job. I couldn’t get a job. I couldn’t do nothing… I was homeless and I saw my probation officer and told her I don’t want to live anymore and she referred me to Orange County Mental Health. They said ‘Michael you have Bipolar.’ I started crying because I understood maybe there is something more to this. I’m not just inherently evil. Maybe there is some hope for me. So I started on medications,’ he said. “From the birth to the age of five I was kept in a crib. I didn’t have any human interaction. I did not have any external stimulation, such as television or radio,” he said. Taken from his crib by a social worker, his first car ride ended in Azusa City with his new foster parents. His life was
about to get much worse under the guise of becoming better. “My foster parents had their own set of problems. Number one, they were alcoholics, and number two, my mom was extremely angry. My dad was extremely non-emotional. Back in the 60’s there weren’t as many restrictions to becoming foster parents,” he said. “There was more of a financial incentive and not as much of a background check. My parents priorities were very off.” Through Michael’s time there he endured abuse, humiliation, neglect and the newfound love of music. He would listen to the radio at night connecting with the music in a way he couldn’t with anyone else. Michael had poor grades, low social skills and was neglected and abused by his family. His teachers deemed him a troublemaker with uncontrollable high energy. He made no connections with anyone from his classes that he called friends. “The only comforts to me back then were the radio and the television. They could do something that no person could do. They could make me laugh, make me smile, make me cry. They brought out the emotions. No person could do that.” According to http://mayocl.in/1qonWdv , “ Instead of clear-cut depression and mania or hypomania, the most prominent signs of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents can include explosive temper, rapid mood shifts, reckless behavior and aggression. In some cases, these shifts occur within hours or less — for example, a child may have intense periods of giddiness and silliness, long bouts of crying and outbursts of explosive anger all in one day.”Michael would sit in his room by himself night after night listening to the music, and as the years went by he had amassed a record collection, a drug addiction and a girlfriend. “In sixth grade started smokin’ weed -- started smokin’ cigarettes. I was smoking weed
and listening to music and self-medicating. It was really cool because it really covered up the anger. It covered up everything. I didn’t feel anymore pain.” At the age of 20, Michael had become a father. He knew he was incapable of being a responsible father and was falling back into his cycle of drug abuse and anger. Unable to deal with his emotions or overcome his past, he was arrested. Michael had carried the pattern of parental abuse into his own family and it would become a major responsibility for his downfalls. Michael’s mood swings, rage, impulsive decisions and lack of coping habits were going to consume him. According to http://www. psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-disorder, “A history of childhood traumatic experience has been associated with increased vulnerability to multiple mental disorders, including mood disorders and personality disorders. 3-5 Studies have found that a high proportion (around 50 percent) of patients with bipolar disorder endorse histories of childhood trauma, with a high incidence of emotional abuse.” “I had tried to kill myself before, when I left my daughter and her mother, but I didn’t want to die. I started self-medicating again.” By this time Michael had already displayed symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, but they were not diagnosed. “Bipolar disorder is not easy to spot when it starts. The symptoms may seem like separate problems, not recognized as parts of a larger problem. “According to the National Health Institute. “Some people suffer for years before they are properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person’s life.” Michael had fallen in love and got married in 1988. He had another baby girl to cel-
ebrate, but his circumstances changed for the worse and again he was unable to be a fit parent. The thread of abuse lingered in Michael’s life, promoting him into fits of rage. During this turbulent time, he was separated from his family and then arrested. “As a Christian, you feel like a monster because you hurt people, but God is forgiving. He knows you’re heart, he knows you want to do good,” he said. “I had that innocence of a child. I had that trust. I trusted adults. I trusted everybody around me. That’s what I really appreciated. You get abused, you’re always looking up, you’re always hoping that this next day is going to be a better day. I had that innocence. That hope. I never lost it.” A few years had gone by and he had gotten out of jail and the restraining order keeping him away from his family was lifted. He was able to see his children and be with his wife. On March 7, his family had decided to move in with him. On March 9, he was in jail as a result of an argument with his son. He recalls the incident grimly. He had been a victim of his past when in the present he was finally doing right. He had worked hard to overcome his anger and addictions. His son had tried to become physical and Michael had fallen on top of him, appearing as though he had charged him. Later in court the judge will closer examine the incident and give him time served. Michael has no selfpity. “I haven’t been there for my kids when they needed me during those years.” Michael reflects in his somber tone. He swivels in his chair and looks at the floor. This is the first time he has turned away from the conversation. Out of jail in the dead-ofnight with no mode of transportation, Michael’s luck looks up when he goes to a Denny’s to wait out the night and meets (Continued on page 3)
Michele Hardy | contributor
Murder case arraignment moved to April 4 Kaylee Johnston
Editor-in-Chief
After being charged with the murder of his parents and the attempted murder of his now-paralyzed eight-year-old brother, former Saddleback student Ashton Sachs, 19, was arrested and appeared at his arraignment on Monday.
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During his short appearance, he was appointed a public defender and his arraignment was moved to April 4 at 10 a.m. According to prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh, the murder wasn’t “financially motivated” and no one else has been charged. “The sad thing about this
case, the absolutely sad thing about this case, is we like to go to sleep at night thinking parents will not hurt their children, and children will not hurt their parents,” Baytieh said. The murder that took place Feb. 6 involved a gun the defendant purchased, Baytieh said although he wouldn’t give
any specifics. Immediately after the murder, the defendant had returned to Seattle where he went to school. “We will be able to prove to a jury that the defendant brutally, absolutely brutally, shot and murdered his mother, his father, shot his eight-year-old brother and shot at his sister,” he said.
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Baytieh clarified that the murder was, more than likely, premeditated. “This was not something that happened in the spur of the moment or in the heat of passion,” he said. No specifications were given about the relationship of Sachs and his family and the
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family members at the first arraignment gave no comment.x “I have no indication that these were not supporting parents who cared about their children, all of their children, supported their children, all their children,” Baytieh said.
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