It’s time to get the word out about Charlie Sheen and mania. He is in a manic episode. I know because I have been there as have the tens of thousands of people who come to my blog every month. Mania has very, very distinct symptoms that are not matched in any other illness- nor are they similar to what a person says when they are drunk or on drugs. This is an important distinction. To prove a point and to help Charlie Sheen get help- I have created a list of manic symptoms that match his quotes. This can be a reference for the media that continues to exploit him instead of recognizing a very obvious illness. Here is the list and please note that it’s simply impossible for a ‘normal’ brain to come up with these quotes. This is mania:
Grandiose thinking and talking– “I’m tired of pretending I’m not special. I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitchin’ rock star from Mars. People can’t figure me out. They can’t process me. I don’t expect them to. You can’t process me with a normal brain.”
Hyper Sexuality- On his porn star family “Let me say this about the Goddesses, I don’t think the term is good enough, but when you’re bound by these terrestrial descriptions, you must use the best term available. So if you think about it, dude, I’m 0-for-3 in marriage, but like in baseball, the scoreboard doesn’t lie. Never has. So what we all have is a marriage of the hearts. And to sully, contaminate, or radically disrespect this unit with a shameful contract is something I’ll leave to the amateurs and bible grippers.”
Compulsive talking– also known as pressured speech- can’t let other’s talk, etc. This is pretty darn obvious and one reason the media can’t get enough.
Compulsive Spending: When someone has this much money, the spending is not as reported.
You’re a magnet to others: It’s easy to get an entourage when you are manic. Many people with bipolar meet their partners when they are manic.
Absolutely, positively unable to see that you’re sick: “No. Not going to. Period. The end. I blinked and I cured my brain. Can’t is the cancer of happen.”
Wrecked relationships: on his wife’s restraining order: “Great. I was already planning on staying 100 parsecs away from her.” (A parsec is a unit of length equaling 3.26 light-years.)
No sleep- this is obvious. This man is not sleeping.
Extremely strange and out of context connections in sentences: “I’m sorry, man, but I’ve got magic. I’ve got poetry in my fingertips. Most of the time — and this includes naps — I’m an F-18, bro. And I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordinance to the ground.”
Agitation: Inability to sit down. Restless and unable to follow a normal routine. Obvious.
Changes in facial looks- a quote from a magazine: “He looks cadaverous.” All people in a agitated manic episode look like this. They sweat a lot- their eyes look wild and their body language changes.
Excessive drug and alcohol use- people in a manic episode can consume an unbelievable amount of drugs and alcohol as compared to the general population. This can lead to mania in someone who has the latent gene that has not come out before. It’s complicated, but a big issue in the medical community.
Look carefully at what he says. Our brains simply are not capable of stringing these words together unless we are manic. It doesn’t happen. The manic brain is racing and revving with chemicals that change the way a person thinks, looks, acts and talks. It’s dangerous and can be deadly.
Addressing Rumors He’s Bipolar: “I’m bi-winning. I win here and I win there. Now what? If I’m bipolar, aren’t there moments where a guy like crashes in the corner like, ‘Oh my God, it’s all my mom’s fault!’ Shut up! Shut up! Stop! Move forward.”
“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available because if you try it once you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body. It’s too much.” He later told a reported he had Adonis and Tiger Blood.
THIS IS A PLEA TO THE MEDIA
Stop reporting on this like it’s a Charlie Sheen freak show. It is going to be absolutely devastating to him when the episode ends and he realizes what has happened. You don’t have to believe this, but he is not aware of what is going on. None of us are when we get this manic. Read more about bipolar mania and try to recognize that what he is going through is a very serious illness. Don’t exploit him. Help him. Bipolar disorder has a 10% suicide rate and what goes up must come down. When the depression happens after one of these episodes, it’s the most dangerous time for a person with bipolar disorder. I read this morning that some media outlets are preparing for Charlie Sheen’s obituary.
Julie A. Fast www.JulieFast.com
I really hadn’t taken any notice of this Sheen business, whenever he comes on the TV I just switched it off, but have seen a few bits of stuff I found disturbing.
But when I read your article it indeed totally did click.
What gets me is why no family or friends are coming around him with some tough love, shielding him from the media, helping him by getting him in somewhere for diagnosis and proper treatment.
It is clear its not just a drug problem anymore. And he wont stop while his mania makes him feel so invincible.
Heres hoping someone steps up with him.
During all of this media blitz on Charlie Sheen I actually felt for him…he shows all the signs of a full blown mania…I remember when I was so high from a mania that I felt invincible also. The things we say and/or do during a mania are usually embarrassing afterwards. I hope that someone does step up to help him and get him off the television. He needs specialized help and the love of his family right now. You mentioned that he doesn’t look like he’s sleeping…when you are that high, on a mania, sleep doesn’t enter the picture…you stay up for days/weeks/months at a time. I know that I went 8 months without any considerable sleep…the more I stayed up the higher I went! When you are manic you will EVENTUALLY come down and those downs are so devastating. Then you have to crawl out of that abyss and deal with the real world. I hope he gets some much needed help…
Oh, so true — I’ve seen this in others myself. I hear a lot of talk about substance abuse, which is undoubtedly a factor; but it’s the mania that is the crucial aspect here. And it’s going to be a very hard and devastating crash when the other end of the spectrum comes ….
As a person with bipolar d/o I have been getting more and more upset and morbidly obsessed with the Charlie Sheen situation. Guess its because of the confusion and denial I’m seeing. I needed proper help long before I got it. My friends didn’t realize my problem and even if they did they held me accountable for the off the wall things I said. It’s a shame because when I got to the hospital I’d see police bringing folks with insurance in who didn’t seem in really bad shape. It’s all about recognizing the disease and tackling it whatever way you can. I wish there was a way to take potshots at entertainers like Bill Maher whose comments were way out of line. He doesn’t even have a good forum for criticism. How about a “worst offenders” list
The second we saw the unfolding of the napkin, my wife and I immediately went toward the manic route suspicion. I feel bad for him, but I’m upset at the enablers that are not taking the step back and see what’s really going on.
Charlie Sheen launched a charity this week, and his first project is to raise money for a baseball fan critically injured in an attack after a Los Angeles Dodgers game. The actor’s Sheen’s Corner foundation will donate profits from merchandise sales at his stage show in San Francisco on Saturday night to the “Brian Stow Fund,” Sheen representative Larry Solters ;