Jakob Blake Bohannon-Bellamy
1981 - 2002

Bipolar disorder typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life. It is often not recognized at first as a serious disorder, and people who have it may suffer needlessly for years or even decades. This disorder is not a character flaw, and it is not your fault. It is a serious mood disorder that affects a person's ability to function in every day activities. It affects one's work, one's family, and one's social life.

Dear family and friends,

As you know, our son Jakob developed the sudden onset of bipolar disease in September, 2001. He battled the disease for a year, as he struggled against the hallucinations, anxiety, and distortions caused by bipolar. Jakob fought for his life with profound courage, but in the end this disease was too powerful.

Sadly, our family isn’t alone in the devastation caused by this disease. Bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses too often claim the lives of the young.

On October 21st, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was signed by the President. This bill will provide $10 million for grants to aid in the battle against mental illness, and was introduced by Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon in memory of the son he lost to suicide last September.

In researching and writing this Act, Congress noted a number of alarming statistics regarding suicide:

-- More children and young adults die from suicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung disease combined.

-- Over 4,000 children and young adults tragically take their lives every year, making suicide the third overall cause of death between the ages of 10 and 24. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is also the third overall cause of death among college-age students.

-- According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and young adults accounted for 15 percent of all suicides in 2000.

-- From 1980 to 1997, the rate of suicide among young adults ages 15 to 19 increased 11 percent.

-- From 1980 to 1997, the rate of suicide among children ages 10 to 14 increased 109 percent.

-- The American College Health Association found that 61 percent of college students reported feeling hopeless, 45 percent said they felt so depressed they could barely function, and 9 percent felt suicidal.

For more information about Bipolar Disorder, please visit the links below

	The Treatment Advocacy Center is a nonprofit organization working to eliminate barriers to treatment of severe mental illness.
	Pendulum Resources Your gateway to affective disorders on the web. The web presence of the Pendulum Email list, an on-line support group for Manic-Depressives.
	Learn about the differences.  Facts on Mental Illness
	Round-the-clock resources for psychiatry
	National Institute for Mental Health
	National Alliance for the Mentally ill