Now if you have the friends I do then you will realize that there is help out there for people who want to "get better".   God knows I've been depressed most of my life as well as was bipolar but never knew it until about five years ago .   Since then I've met some very WONDERFUL people and with the help of a support team like the ones I have, I can vouch that you CAN GET BETTER.

Even if you don't consider yourself CURED, you will be able to find ways to cope better, and I just wanted to thank ALL OF MY FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS for being there when I need you, and I hope you know I AM THERE FOR YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you all,

Lori

to give their personal accounts of what has happened to them or family members.  Bi-polar is an illness that many people misunderstand.  It affects many people differently yet the stigma is so misunderstood.  Many people even go to the extreme that they think they have to shield their children from people like "US".  This is the ignorant way of thinking and this is what I'd like to use this weblog for, to educate people with REAL STORIES of people who not only have the illness but

to share stories from people who have interacted with people who have bi-polar so they can tell the WORLD that HEY PEOPLE WITH BI-POLAR are just like YOU....THEY ARE REAL, THEY ARE HUMAN, THEY HAVE FEELINGS, And THEY AREN'T MONSTERS! 

This is a disorder that can be controlled with medication and people can go on living their daily lives and most of society doesn't even realize that we have the disorder unless it goes untreated.

So educate yourselves people and next time you smile at someone or shake someones hand or even meet your new boss remember they might have Bi-polar and you wouldn't even know it!

First I'd like to say that I'm honored that you have chosen this site to not only read but to share your opinions as well. 

My name is Lori, and I suffer from, PTSD, Bi-Polar, and Drug Addiction. 

I believe for me that all of these ailments went hand in hand in one shape or another when they bestowed their presence upon me.  I'd like to share with you a little about myself then I'd like you to please share your stories as well as any other links, suggestions or OPINIONS that you might want to express.  Remember that we live in a FREE SOCIETY and I've never really appreciated this more than I do now since returning from a HORRIFIC experience after living in IRAN for Three and a half years.  Don't get me wrong, the whole experience was not horrific, I met a lot of WONDERFUL Iranians while I lived there, the only experience that was horrific was learning that my husband (Iranian) was a man that led a dual life and one I did not know about, and second was a POW camp that I was put into the day after 9-11.

PTSD, Bi-Polar, Drug Addiction and Childhood Sexual Abuse!
Hello my name is Lori,

I suffer from PTSD, and what is called "non-epileptic seizures" caused by

PTSD. I also suffer from Bi-polar. My PTSD was caused by many reasons.  The first was due to

sexual abuse that I suffered at the age of 10.
 Then in 1998 I moved to IRAN!!
 I have a book coming out about my three and a half years living in Iran

with my Iranian husband that turned out with me being put into a POW

camp the day after 9-11.  All of this happened due to me running away

from some prescription drug charges when I was a nurse in Michigan. 

When I escaped from the camp and was flown home, I weighed in at 70

pounds and had severe head injuries and most of my teeth were missing.

Not to mention the severe mental trauma from watching people being

executed in front of me, and the sexual assault I suffered daily.
 This story is not only about PTSD but about my drug use and my time in

Iran while using as well as the horrors in my childhood and adult life that

lead me on my road to drug use.  It is also about my recovery.
And my coping skills with PTSD.  I'm currently being treated at the

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL in DETROIT for PTSD.  Without this

treatment and the realization of my diagnosis' I probably would have

succeeded at killing myself.
  So nothing is impossible.  My online version of the book is at my

website and is free to view,
www.loris-song.com
Just click on the picture of my book entitled LORIS SONG, and it will take

you to the link that has my online book.
The online version is only about 4-5 pages but is a very thorough

synopsis.  The completed book will about 300 pages.
Also the printed version will be out sometime I hope in May by Outskirts

publsihing.  I wish all of you success and my prayers are with you.  If you

write to me please put Loris-Song READER in your subject and I will get

back to you. 

Thank you, and God Bless, Lori

Who is at risk for developing PTSD?

Authors Note

 I was diagnosed with PTSD upon returning from Iran, I am currently being treated with anti-depressants and bi-weekly meetings with my therapist at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  I have an excellent therapist who has stuck by me for the past 3 years.  Although I suffered the trauma in 2001 from the POW camp in Iran, I had also suffered being molested at age 10 by my brother.

My therapist who specializes in this disorder told me that I couldn't start dealing with the trauma from Iran until I took care of the underlying trauma in my childhood.  I recently realized this after going through a drug rehab clinic and finally deciding to quit all the NUMBING drugs and start dealing with my problems.  The hard part is now that I'm dealing with them "CONSCIOUSLY" they feel as if they happened yesterday and the flashbacks and nightmares are worse than they've ever been.  So it's not an easy road but recovery is possible....I know because I do see PROGRESS..but more importantly HOPE!

You can read about it on my website and online version of my book at www.loris-song.com

Approximately 7%-8% of people in the United States will likely develop PTSD in their lifetime, with the lifetime occurrence (prevalence) in combat veterans and rape victims ranging from 10% to as high as 30%. Somewhat higher rates of this disorder have been found to occur in African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans compared to Caucasians in the United States. Some of that difference is thought to be due to higher rates of dissociation soon before and after the traumatic event (peritraumatic); a tendency for individuals from minority ethnic groups to blame themselves, have less social support, and an increased perception of racism for those ethnic groups; as well as differences between how ethnic groups may express distress. Other important facts about PTSD include the estimate of 5 million people who suffer from PTSD at any one time in the United States and the fact that women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men.

Almost half of individuals who use outpatient mental-health services have been found to suffer from PTSD. As evidenced by the occurrence of stress in many individuals in the United States in the days following the 2001 terrorist attacks, not being physically present at a traumatic event does not guarantee that one cannot suffer from traumatic stress that can lead to the development of PTSD.

PTSD statistics in children and teens reveal that up to more than 40% have endured at least one traumatic event, resulting in the development of PTSD in up to 15% of girls and 6% of boys. On average, 3%-6% of high school students in the United States and as many as 30%-60% of children who have survived specific disasters have PTSD. Up to 100% of children who have seen a parent killed or endured sexual assault or abuse tend to develop PTSD, and more than one-third of youths who are exposed to community violence will suffer from the disorder.

Authors note: 

I suffer from PTSD, I was in a POW type camp in Iran for 6 weeks.  I went to Iran in 1998 with my Iranian husband and once there he refused to let me come home to the USA.  The day after 9-11, anyone with TIES to Americans; that is friends or family were put into these camps, and were beat and raped.  After I escaped I was flown to the American embassy in Dubai, UAE, since there is no American embassy in Iran. I walked off the plane into Detroit metro airport weighing 70 pounds and missing most of my teeth and had many closed head injuries.  I am publishing a book and have a website dedicated to cause of womens rights in these countries...the reasoning behind this is included in my online version of my book at:

www.loris-song.com

I hope you this information helps!