A free eBook – 4X4 for Nons
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Lindsay Lohan’s judge makes a statement about Lilo:
Sautner disagreed with the recommendation Wednesday, saying she didn’t think Lohan had a substance abuse problem.
“She has other problems, which she self-medicates,” the judge said.
I wonder what those “other problems” are? Perhaps you can check here for more information on the behavior of Lindsay Lohan.
Here’s the full text of the article:
Lindsay Lohan says she’s glad theft case resolved
LOS ANGELES – A lawyer entered a no contest plea Wednesday for Lindsay Lohan in the theft of a necklace, setting the stage for a summer of confinement, counseling and community service.
Defense attorney Shawn Holley made the plea for the actress, who did not appear in court in the misdemeanor case involving a $2,500 necklace taken from an upscale shop in the Venice area of Los Angeles.
Lohan, 24, did not acknowledge guilt through the plea, but the court will log the case as a conviction.
She said later in the day in a written statement that she was glad to put the case behind her and has already started her 300 hours of community service at a shelter for women.
“I hope to be able to fulfill my obligation without any press attention,” Lohan said. “I think the media spotlight should be on issues such as homelessness and domestic violence instead of on me.”
Lohan did not have to attend the hearing because she was facing a misdemeanor charge.
Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered Lohan to serve a 120-day jail sentence and remain on probation in a 2007 drunken driving case while she completes a total of 480 hours of community service and undergoes psychological counseling.
Along with the women’s shelter, she will do 120 hours of community service at the coroner’s office, with the remainder to be decided.
The judge ordered the additional counseling after reviewing a probation report that showed Lohan tested positive for alcohol in February, a little more than a month after she was released from rehab.
The report also said authorities found evidence the actress had been drinking in December while receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center.
Lohan had been sent to Betty Ford for three months of treatment last year after failing a drug screen. The report indicated she had tested positive for cocaine and amphetamines during the court-mandated drug test in September. Continue reading Interesting Statement from Judge in Lindsay Lohan Case →
I coined the phrase “It’s All About His/Her Feelings” (IAAHF) as a mentalization tool to understand the MOTIVATION behind much of the confusing behavior of those with BPD. Last week, I got the first search engine search on IAAHF. See below:
 IAAHF As you can see, I also get lots of searches on “famous people” or “celebrities” with BPD. I only post those types of articles to relate to those with BPD and their families that perhaps they are not alone in their struggles – perhaps (again it’s a maybe because the closest celebrity to actually come out and say he/she has BPD is Megan Fox – who speculated about it).
I’ve written a lot about IAAHF here. I also explain the concept and how it relates to validation skills in the I-AM-MAD communication skill. The concept of IAAHF is extremely important to fully understand if a non-BPD is going to understand what is going on in the emotionally dysregulated moments (EDMs). It takes some time to understand and to truly “get” it. For me, it was one to the most valuable perspectives on BPD and emotional dysregulation.
Sometimes, however, nons have a problem with this concept because they misinterpret it. Here is a brief note from “When Hope is Not Enough” (the second edition, on which I am working) about IAAHF:
I found that many people bristle at the idea that it’s “all about” the borderline’s feelings. Sometimes this formulation makes the Non-BPD’s ask: what about my feelings? (which, in a way, is a reformulation of “what about me?”). The intention of this concept is for you to understand the motivation of behavior, not the entire landscape of the relationship. There will be times in which the context of the relationship is about your feelings. Yet, when the “crazy” behavior takes place, it is most often motivated by dysregulated feelings and emotions. The purpose and intent of the behavior is to quell those feelings, even if it seems as if it’s your fault that those feelings exist. To understand and use this attitude properly, you have to remember that it’s (the behavior) is all about (motivated by) his/her feelings (dysregulated emotions that require calming/quelling of pain).
 Does Charlie Sheen have BPD? Alright, I have to admit it, I’m fascinated – as I’m sure many of you are - watching Charlie Sheen and his “meltdown”. I’m fascinated, yet sickened because he seems to be having a mental health crisis right before our collective eyes. The question is: what are the mental health issues? Since I am not a doctor, nor have I ever met Charlie Sheen, I’m not qualified to diagnose him with anything. I have meet a lot of people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and their families and friends. I have watched first-hand what BPD can do to a person and a family.
Yet, I’m not at all convinced that Charlie Sheen has BPD. Some online analyses have pointed to BPD for Charlie, but thus far his behavior doesn’t seem to support that. Sure, he’s impulsive and seemingly either manic or hypo-manic. Hypo-mania can certainly be a feature of BPD. In my experience, this hypo-mania usually comes along with drug abuse (active) when the person with BPD takes medications or drugs that interferes with their impulse control. They think of something and do it without thinking about the consequences. Certainly, Charlie Sheen’s doing that right now. Except with BPD, the “mania” (or hypo-mania) typically only lasts a few hours or (at most) a couple of days. Charlie Sheen seems to be in an extended manic episode and it is not drug-fueled (if we are to believe his drug tests). This type of mania is more common in Biploar Disorder (either bipolar I or II).
He also seems to have lost touch with reality at some level. This disassociating can also be a feature of BPD, as well as other disorders. See his “Charlie’s Korner” episode 4 for that seeming losing touch with reality.
One thing I did notice about Charlie Sheen and his current rantings is that he seems fixated on judgment of him from others. This feature is one that is very common with BPD, although it’s probably common with other disorders as well. He seems to have set up an “us (or me, the warlock) versus them (the trolls)” mentality which is also very common (black and white thinking) in BPD. Yet, the shame and self-image issues seem to not be there (at least as far as we can see at this point).
Anyway, I guess the jury’s still out on Charlie Sheen. I hope that he will goes to get a professional mental health evaluation and take care of whatever mental or behavioral problems he’s experiencing.
 Lindsay Lohan and BPD? I read an article today about Lindsay Lohan from Fox News’ Dr. Keith Albow entitled “What Lindsay Lohan’s Parents Stole From Her”. While I can certainly understand Dr. Albow’s point at some level (although mostly I believe it was to attract readers to Fox with a catchy title about Lindsay Lohan’s situation), I have a problem with Dr. Albow’s analysis of Ms. Lohan’s parents. My problem has several facets to it, so you’ll have to bear with me as I go through them. The first part of my problem has to do with the “blaming the parents” aspect of mental health care and the attitude of mental health care professionals. When you take a child with possible BPD or with behavioral issues like Ms. Lohan has reportedly experienced (those include possible theft, substance abuse, sexual orientation confusion, impulsive actions, self-injury, depression, anxiety and the like), the first thing that is assumed about you is that the child has experienced trauma, neglect or abuse by the parents (that is, YOU). Oftentimes this is NOT the case. I have two daughters (fraternal twins) and one of them has emotional regulation issues, the other does not. The environment in which they were raised was essential the same. The thing is, the children are not the same. I know of another individual who has two daughters, two years apart in age, one of which is a drug addict who never attended college and the other has a ph. d. They were also seemingly raised in the same environment. Granted, neither my children nor the daughters of my friend are child stars as Ms. Lohan was. Yet, my problem #1 is blaming the parents. It doesn’t do anything to help Ms. Lohan. In DBT there’s a couple of rules that you learn at the beginning. One of these “rules” (or guidelines) goes something like this: Even though I didn’t cause some of my problems, I still have to be responsible for solving those problems. In other words, even if you lay the cause and responsibly solely at the feet of Ms. Lohan’s parents and what they “stole” from her, it doesn’t function to make Ms. Lohan behave more effectively or feel any better. Instead, now that she is an adult, she will be required to take responsibility for her behavior and learn the skills necessary to function in a more effective manner, regardless of who caused her problems. I want you all to understand though, if she DOES indeed have a mental illness, these problems might be more difficult for her to overcome. That is because IMO (and in the recent opinions of many scientists) there is a biological component to most mental illnesses (including BPD) and, whereas many people with BPD also have comorbid PTSD from trauma and/or abuse/neglect, many do not. I believe that in order to have BPD the biological component must be present. Dr. Marsha Linehan’s bio-social model seems to reflect this. In other words, in the case of my twins and my friend’s daughters, what is different about each of them is their biological system, not the environment. The kids are different biologically. In the case of Ms. Lohan, perhaps she also has a biological feature that would increase the likelihood of impulsive behavior (among other features).
Now this brings me to point #2 which has to do with boundaries and the fuzzy understanding of what boundaries are. Dr. Albow says:
If she’s guilty, she did it for the same reason she illegally used drugs and drove under the influence and—maybe—assaulted an employee at The Betty Ford Center: She had so much stolen from her as a young person, had her boundaries violated so feloniously, that she considers the boundaries of others irrelevant.
Ahh, boundaries! Anytime I mention BPD to anyone who is not steeped in the world of BPD/non-BPD, including and especially therapists, one of the first things out of their mouths is boundaries (after trauma/abuse). This doctor doesn’t understand boundaries and the way that they function. A person like Lindsay Lohan doesn’t have a boundary problem, she has an emotional problem. You could rewrite the first sentence like this:
If she’s guilty, she did it for the same reason she illegally used drugs and drove under the influence and—maybe—assaulted an employee at The Betty Ford Center: she is in a great deal of emotional pain, has issues regulating her emotions, is impulsive and will behave in an “anything to stop the pain” manner. She acts on her emotions and action impulses before she thinks of the consequences.
Her problem is dysphoria and a poor sense of well-being, which in turn leads to impulsive behavior like shoplifting a necklace when you could just afford to buy one.
I don’t want to go into a long discussion of boundaries here. I‘ve talk about boundaries so many times, it gets old. If you understand my view of boundaries and rules and consequences and intent and the differentiation between these important behavioral and mental concepts, you’ll immediately see why I object to the “boundary violation” explanation of Ms. Lohan’s make-up and behavior. No, the problem with Lindsay Lohan is (IMO) dysphoria, poor impulse control, emotional dysregulation and a large amount of emotional pain. That is why she does the drugs, steals things (allegedly), engages in risky behavior, cuts herself, etc. It’s not because she “considers the boundaries of others irrelevant”. That statement just shows me that you, doctor, don’t understand boundaries, despite your status as a mental health professional and a Fox News guy. In fact, it has NOTHING to do with the other’s boundaries or feelings at all. It’s all about her feelings.
My last problem with the article has to do with this statement:
Assault and theft. Lindsay Lohan, I would venture, knows all about those things, very deep inside. And not just because of what she did. No, no. Don’t believe that for a moment. Mostly, this is a story about what was done to her.
No, it’s not a story about what was done to her. I’m sorry, but the problem for Ms. Lohan is two-fold. Firstly, if she does indeed have mental health issues, emotional issues, substance abuse issues, and behavioral issues, it is her responsibility as an adult to address those effectively. The question is not “what was done to her by whom?” – it’s “what does she do about it now?” She’s no longer a child. She must address her behavioral issues with the help of a mental health, substance abuse and/or behavioral health specialist. If she continues to play out the approach that Dr. Albow espouses here – the “I had a f*cked up childhood” approach, she’s going to continue to behave ineffectively. What she’s doing is anything to stop the pain, yet, ironically, it is causing MORE pain for her because she’s behaving in an ineffective manner.
Secondly, like everyone in society, Ms. Lohan has to learn that her behavior has consequences, even unintended ones. Sure, she might have a disorder like BPD in which she would find it difficult NOT to behave impulsively and in a pain-killing way, yet when all that is done, she has to face the consequences of her behavior like everyone else. As I have said in the past, just because you didn’t mean to burn down the house while playing with matches, doesn’t mean the house magically comes back from the ashes. No, the house is still in ashes whether your parents abused/neglected you or you were just trying to stop the pain inside your head. Ms. Lohan’s behavior has consequences and sometimes those consequences are going to jail. The judge is not going to accept the argument, “my parents made me do this by taking away my childhood.”
And all of that brings me back to the serenity prayer, which (as I have said in “When Hope is Not Enough”) I always thought was a stupid cliche, yet, Lindsay Lohan is an excellent example of those words at work. (And BTW, I am not a support of A.A., despite my reference to the prayer). Ms. Lohan has no ability to change what her parents did to her. That is something she must accept. Trying to change those things will cause frustration and, in her case, maybe incarceration. What she CAN change is her future by learning to behave more effectively and manage her emotions more effectively. If she doesn’t do that, she’s going to end up helpless (“my parents made me this way and there’s nothing I can do about it”), in jail or on the wrong side of the grass.
Well, obviously her shoplifting is alleged at this point. There is a TMZ article about things (other than the necklace) that she allegedly took. And another one regarding a fur coat that she wore and about which she had to settle a complaint against her for that. On these pages, I have analyzed the behavior of Lindsay and made the suggestion that she has borderline personality disorder. I am not a doctor, a diagnostic expert or have I ever actually met with Ms. Lohan. I am a person who is familiar with BPD and I have met numerous individuals with BPD and their families. Shoplifting can be a feature of borderline personality disorder. A question answered by Dr. Leland Heller about shoplifting and BPD says this:
Q. Dear Dr. Heller
Do a large percentage of BPD individuals have difficulty with impulsiveness which involves shoplifting? Can you comment on this form of self-injurious behavior.
Also I understand Klonopin is not to be given to individuals who have difficulty with impulsiveness, Please advise on this medication.
Someone in deep legal trouble that has just learned there is a name for the cause of all this pain.
A. Shoplifting has long been known to be one of the self-destructive, impulsive behaviors borderlines do to make dysphoria – anxiety, rage, depression, despair – go away. It’s similar to reckless driving, binge eating, binge shopping, etc. It’s not common, but it does happen.
Xanax – alprazolam – has been shown to worsen behavioral dyscontrol, which means there may be an increased risk of self-destructive behaviors. Klonopin is a very similar medication, and while I haven’t seen studies on it in this regard, it is logical to assume it will make BPD self destructive symptoms worse.
As you can see, Dr. Heller does indicate that shoplifting is an impulsive behavior and can be used to make the dysphoria of BPD go away. In addition, he goes on to indicate that benzos (particularly Xanax) can worsen self-destructive and impulsive behaviors. I have seen that effect with my own eyes. Xanax definitely decreases impulse control and increases behavioral dyscontrol. When mixed with alcohol, the effects can be even more dramatic. So, I thought I’d go out and try to discern if Lindsay Lohan is taking Xanax or other medications that would have these effects. Sure enough, there have been reports that Ms. Lohan is taking Xanax (along with Paxil and Adderall). The combination of poor impulse control (which is a feature of BPD, although it is also a feature of other disorders) and the Xanax could indeed lead to a self-control issue such as shoplifting. Here is a CNN report about Lindsay’s latest legal troubles regarding the alleged shoplifting of a $2,500 necklace. The question that immediately arises (at least for most people) is why? Why would she shoplift when she can afford to buy the product? Again, see above for possible explanation (Xanax + poor impulse control = try to make dysphoria go away). This whole incident reminded me of Winoa Ryder’s shoplifting case. In addition to her shoplifting, she also has apparently been taking Xanax.
Article that mentions BPD and Anna Nicole Smith….
Doctor: Anna Nicole Smith medication ‘overkill’
By LINDA DEUTSCH (AP) – 3 days ago
LOS ANGELES — A hospital psychiatrist testified Friday that medication given to Anna Nicole Smith by a doctor now on trial was “overkill” for the kind of pain she was describing.
Dr. Nathalie Maullin said she believed Smith had “a borderline personality disorder” and was addicted to prescription medications.
Maullin said she was on staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in April 2006 when Smith was brought in pregnant and in withdrawal from anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the pain killer Methadone. The celebrity model told her she had gone “cold turkey,” discontinuing her medications all at once because she was concerned for the welfare of her expected baby.
By doing that, Maullin said, she had actually endangered the baby and herself. The doctor said she quickly resumed her medication with Methadone and began weaning her off Xanax, both of which had been prescribed by Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, a defendant in the drug conspiracy case.
“My thoughts were these were very hard core medications to be giving for the kind of pain she was demonstrating,” said Maullin. “She was on medication that seemed like overkill for the type of pain she was in.”
She said it was difficult to get a medical history from Smith because she was “putting on a show” and was deferring questions to her lawyer-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, who was with her at all times.
Kapoor, Stern and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to provide excessive opiates and sedatives to Smith. They are also charged with prescribing drugs to an addict, but are not charged with causing her 2007 overdose death.
Maullin said Stern told her Smith had been suffering from back pain for five years. She said the former Playboy model also complained of pain in her upper back and arm.
Another doctor who testified earlier this week said Smith suffered from chronic pain syndrome all over her body.
Maullin said she conferred with Kapoor by phone, gave him her plan for weaning Smith off Xanax and any drugs known as benzodiazopines which can be addictive. She said he agreed and told her he would leave the prescribing of Methadone to her.
“Did you see any pain that needed treatment with opiates?” asked the prosecutor.
“No,” Maullin said.
The problem was that Smith showed no enthusiasm for the plan, the doctor said.
“It was like pulling teeth to get some response from her,” she said. “She was compliant but not really interested. She was not wholehearted.”
Five days after Smith checked in to the hospital, Maullin said she received a page at midnight from a nurse that said Smith’s eyes had rolled back in her head.
That sounded like a drug reaction and a one-time dose of Benadryl was prescribed, Maullin said. However, the next day, she received another call saying Smith was having hallucinations.
“The nurse said that she was flossing her teeth with no floss and was out of it,” Maullin said. “This was a radical change.”
Under questioning by Deputy District Attorney David Barkhurst, Maullin said she did not consider this an emergency and she tended to other patients before going to see Smith five hours later.
“In psychiatry, we are used to seeing patients do strange things,” she said.
Upon her arrival, Stern told Maullin that Smith “was generally acting goofy.” Smith was angry and made no eye contact but seemed lucid, Maullin said.
The psychiatrist said she suggested that Smith go into an inpatient facility that deals with addicts. But Smith wasn’t interested and told Stern she wanted to leave the hospital.
Maullin said she informed Kapoor and he said he would go to her house.
“I thought that was unusual,” she said. “Physicians generally see patients in the office or the hospital. There was no reason she could not leave her home to come to see him. Just in terms of proper boundaries with patients, you see them in your office.
“She needed to participate in her care,” Maullin said. “It’s not a home delivery service.”
The only reason I posted this here is because Britney Spears actually started my foray into discussing Borderline Personality Disorder a nd celebrities. I only do it because I would like for some celeb to come out of the closet (or “off the couch”) and just admit that they have the disorder. To me it would go a long way to removing the stigma. The only one who has come close is Megan Fox. She mentioned borderline when referring to herself, but she has not been diagnosed – well, not that we know of. Anyway, old Mel Gibson seems to have some sort of disorder and some people have mentioned borderline. Now we have 2 potential BPD celebs talking with one another. I have to say though, Britney Spears certainly got the right (and skillful) people around her. We have not heard much about her “bad behavior” in years. Good for her!
Mel Gibson seems to have found the most unlikely counsellor in his attempt to regain his reputation and it is no other than the troubled pop-star Britney Spears, media reports said.
Gibson’s reputation has been badly damaged following the release of several tape recordings which purportedly feature him hurling abuse and vile threats at ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva during phone calls.
The Toxic singer, 28, has been telling her friends that Mel Gibson, 54, has been pouring his heart out to her — confiding that he fears for his sanity and is convinced he’s destroyed his once-hot career.
The In Touch magazine quoted a friend of Britney as saying that they speak on the phone all the time, usually late at night.
Her friends also say that Britney is just returning the favour because apparently Gibson went out of his way to help her when she went through her own breakdown.
Britney’s friend said that Britney wants people to give him a second chance — just like he gave her one when everyone else turned away.
 Lindsay Lohan Breaks Down in Court Well, it’s been some time since I have written anything about celebrities with possible borderline personality disorder. Personally, I wish some celeb would just come out and admit that they have the disorder and help others by showing that there’s effective evidence-based treatments for BPD. I guess the stigma is too great and they feel that it would hurt their careers. Of course, for some, their behavior is what is hurting their careers. Today, I am turning again to Lindsay Lohan (click here to see all posts about LiLo). Lately I have been receiving a ton of alerts with news stories that contain LiLo’s name and reference BPD. These are usually in the user comments. I can’t find a single legit magazine or news article that has speculated on BPD and LiLo. Recently, her behavior has accelerated, even as she is facing jail. Here are some recent articles that could indicate that (in combo) LiLo has BPD (remember, this is just speculation at this point):
Lindsay Lohan goes Doctor Shopping
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/hollywood/top-stories/scoop/2010/lilodoes-doctor-shopping-for-prescriptionmeds.html
Washington, July 12 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan apparently obtains her dangerous combination of prescription drugs through “doctor shopping” across the country.
According to a source, Lohan goes to six different doctors for prescriptions.
“When one doctor says no to refilling a prescription, she will go to the next. It’s a whole process to get what she needed, ” TMZ quoted the source as saying.
Lindsay who has prescriptions for- Zoloft (antidepressant), Trazodone (antidepressant), Adderall (stimulant to control ADHD), Nexium (acid reflux) and the extremely powerful painkiller Dilaudid, have doctors both in Los Angeles and New York.
In fact, one of her past rehab facilities still prescribes her meds.
The source even added that, Lohan “would get a large supply every time” she visited a doctor.
Lindsay Lohan and Suicidal Ideation
http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/07/14/lindsay-lohan-suicide-watch-kill-herself-jail-90-days/
Lindsay Lohan would rather kill herself than be locked away in jail. The 24-year-old actress is reportedly so upset over the 90 day jail sentence looming over her since July 6, that she’s threatening to take her own life.
“She just kept repeating, ‘I can’t go to jail,’ and, ‘I’ll kill myself first,’” a source tells Star magazine. “She’s mentally unstable and getting worse.”
After Lindsay’s discovered she’d be serving time at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif., Star reports she went home and broke everything in sight.
“She ran around breaking mirrors, cutting herself and rambling like a lunatic. She tore her house apart before she finally just broke down,” reveals a source. “Lindsay’s on a 24/7 suicide watch, it’s so bad. She isn’t doing well with this.”
Not only is Lindsay going around saying she wants to kill herself but she’s taking a lethal dose of prescription drugs.
“She has been doctor shopping across the country,” she says. “She is utterly unable to control her use of any mind-altering substance.”
Lindsay Lohan and Self-Injury
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/11/exclusive-self-harm-sign-%E2%80%9Cseverely-disturbed-behavior%E2%80%9D
In shocking phone conversations exclusively obtained by RadarOnline.com Lindsay Lohan’s mom, Dina, is heard expressing her concern over her daughter’s self mutilation. And with good reason, as experts in the field tell RadarOnline.com that self harm is often just one factor of greater, underlying emotional issues.
Renown psychotherapist, and author of Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation, Dr. Steven Levenkron tells RadarOnline.com that Lindsay’s behavior is a sign of disturbed psychiatric behavior and that it will take time and energy to help her heal. “Whether (a given patient’s) condition is termed being ‘out of touch with reality,’ ‘psychotic,’ or ‘in a diagnosed state,’ the scene constitutes severely disturbed psychiatric behavior,” Levenkron says. “ This is the element that must be present in order to meet the criteria for self-injury. ‘Severely disturbed behavior’ does not mean hopeless, but it does mean that it will take a long time, lots of focused attention, and an intense emotional bond between helper and sufferer in order to repair the damage.”
And Dr. Wendy Lader, PHD, President and Clinical Director of the S.A.F.E ALTERNATIVES program, a nationally recognized treatment approach, professional network and resource base, and an international speaker on self-injury elaborates, telling RadarOnline.com, “The main reason for self injury is to deal with emotional regulation. For whatever reason it helps them to calm down.
“People who self harm have the inability to communicate the depth of their feelings.
Continue reading Lindsay Lohan and possible BPD (more detail this time) →
I have never posted on potential BPD of an athlete before. I think that there are probably athletes with BPD. Heck, if the NIAAA study is correct 5.9% of the adult population has had a life time incidence of BPD – it seems likely that there would be people of all stripes with the disorder. Anyway, a few weeks ago I read an article about Milton Bradley (the baseball player, not the game company). Here is the article… (I have bolded the parts that I find telling):
‘Committed’ Bradley returns to M’s after 2 weeks
SEATTLE (AP) -Milton Bradley’s hiatus from the Seattle Mariners is over.
His process of getting help to deal with what baseball’s self-described bad guy called “stressors, unpleasant thoughts and feelings I’ve been having” is not.
Bradley rejoined the Mariners on Wednesday, after two weeks of counseling for personal issues and anger. He had his fourth two-hit game of the season in a 3-2 loss to Toronto,“I don’t have all the answers. I’m not saying I’m cured,” Bradley said in a clubhouse meeting room before the game.
He made a brief statement then answered one question before a team spokesman ended the session.
“I’m working ever so hard, and I’m committed to this process,” Bradley said. “It’s going to be an ongoing thing. It’s the best thing for me. I’m glad I took this time.”
The Mariners – his eighth team in 10 seasons – reinstated him from the restricted list they had placed him on May 5.
That was a day after the man who in spring training called himself the Kanye West of baseball erupted when manager Don Wakamatsu removed him from a game following two strikeouts. Bradley was not in the clubhouse when the team returned after another loss during what’s been a miserable season so far.
The next day, the 32-year-old Bradley came to Wakamatsu and general manager Jack Zduriencik asking them to help him.
“I’m just going to focus on ball again. I’m glad to take this time to give you guys some foresight into what is going on, as much as I can,” Bradley said Wednesday. “I’m just glad to be back with the guys playing ball again. And we’re going to focus on that. Thank you.”
Bradley is in the second year of a $30 million, three-year contract the Chicago Cubs gave him before one failed season with them in 2009.
The Mariners agreed with him that two weeks didn’t erase the slugger’s battle with his emotions.
“It’s early in the whole process. It will be ongoing, certainly,” Zduriencik said. “We’re not going to solve it overnight.”
This is not the first time Bradley has undergone anger management in baseball. The Dodgers ordered him to do so during his two-season stint with them. That was after he got a five-game suspension for slamming a plastic bottle at the feet of a fan in the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium in 2004 after someone had thrown it on the field.
The sinking Mariners, desperate for run production, didn’t ease Bradley back. They had him playing left field and batting sixth against Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil.
Cecil was providing the first live pitching Bradley has seen since May 4 – a night Seattle and Bradley hope proves to be the pivotal one of his mercurial career.
Bradley got a warm, brief ovation from Wednesday night’s small crowd as he stepped to the plate for the first time, in the second inning. He tapped hellos to the plate umpire and Toronto catcher John Buck, fouled off a couple of two-strike pitches, then struck out swinging.
Grinding out at-bats of seven and eight pitches, he later had a broken-bat and an infield single.
“I’m excited to be back and glad to be part of the team again,” Bradley said. “I’d like to thank the organization for their support, and for them allowing me this time to get myself together and get back on track and get some help for the stressors – things that I’ve been creating, the unpleasant thoughts and feelings I’ve been having and get better focus on the game I love.”
He particularly thanked Seattle’s fans for the “overwhelming” amount of mail and cards of support he said he’s received from them.
He said the city’s people have stopped him on the street to offer encouragement, a continuation of what he has said is the best and most supportive environment he’s been in during his news making career.
A month ago, he flipped off heckling fans in Arlington, Texas, during a game against his former team.
Wakamatsu said Bradley’s return gave his teammates a needed “buzz.”
“I’m just glad to be here,” Bradley said after the game. “They know – I let them know – how excited I was to be back.”
Asked if he had a goal to be a catalyst for a team 12 games under .500 and in dire need of one, Bradley shook his head. Instead he talked of a new resolve, born from two weeks of counseling.
“My goal is to conduct myself in a professional manner and represent this organization well,” he said.
Seattle optioned reliever Sean White to Triple-A Tacoma to make roster room for Bradley, a 2008 All-Star with Texas.
Wakamatsu said he intends to play Bradley in left field against left-handed pitchers and at designated hitter against right-handers. That would further limit slumping, 40-year-old Ken Griffey Jr.’s playing time.
Griffey entered Wednesday batting .185 and without a home run in 92 at-bats this season. Including last season, he is four at-bats shy of the longest homerless drought of his career – 101 in 1990.
By GREGG BELL AP Sports Writer
No one can diagnose anyone else with BPD or anything else from afar. I only post these things to let people know that BPD (or BPD-like behavior) shows up in all walks of life – including celebrities, actors and athletes.
As many of you know May is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month. In 2008, I posted the text of the Congressional bill that declared this. Click on that link to read the text of the bill. One of the things that struck me in this bill was this:
Whereas BPD is inheritable and is exacerbated by environmental factors;
Unfortunately, the sponsor of this bill “Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia” is no longer in the Congress. I wonder why he proposed and sponsored such a bill? I wonder if he has been affected by BPD in his family. I guess I need to do some Googling to see if I can discover the reason.
May 18th is also the 30th anniversary of the suicide of Ian Curtis. I wrote about him some time ago and have had a big uptick in searches on him this month.
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