Barrett Robbins: the sad story continues (1 Viewer)

:(

I know Raiders fans probably still aren’t over the disappearance of their starting center the night before the Super Bowl. Hopefully time heals all wounds. 

Just came across this. He’s been arrested 3x in 30 days outside a 7/11. I couldn’t imagine going from about to play in the Super Bowl to the direction his life took thereafter. 

Realty a sad story. I feel for the dude. Bipolar disorder is no joke. 

https://blacksportsonline.com/2020/10/ex-raiders-barrett-robbins-arrested-for-3rd-time-in-last-30-days-at-7-eleven/

It's a shame that his condition is known as simply "bipolar disorder," because the name kind of implies that the illness isn't that serious. But it's pretty obvious that Barrett has experienced some serious psychotic episodes, to the point of not recognizing people or places around him.

Joe Summer said:

It's a shame that his condition is known as simply "bipolar disorder," because the name kind of implies that the illness isn't that serious.

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An old friend is a successfully diagnosed & treated BPD. When she was young she had manic episodes & during the worst of them she had a psychotic break.

She had a period of about a week that time jumped - just 6-7 lost days. She came to her senses in a mental hospital, undiagnosed, and absolutely 100% certain that aliens were going to pick her up. Had a little suitcase packed & everything.

they finally tried lithium, got her balanced & she snapped back like it never happened. 

For a few years she resisted taking her meds. As an artist she felt like her creativity was being stifled. Apparently this is one of the most devious aspects of the disorder. People with it believe they’re better without meds.

Eventually she stuck with the meds, finished college, and became an incredibly successful marketing exec. I never met her when she had a manic episode or a psychotic break,  but I learned a lot about the condition. You’re spot on - it sounds a lot less severe than it is.

The psychosis actually saved my friend’s life, because the docs tested her & figured it out. Often it goes undiagnosed & people try to self medicate with drugs & alcohol. I believe that’s what happened to Barrett Robbins. And as with a lot of undiagnosed BPD, he was attacked by everyone for being an out of control druggie, without them knowing of the underlying condition. 

I’m not sure if Robbins’ condition was known by anyone prior to his bender in TJ,  It’s really tragic, because it’s one of those rare mental disorders where the victim gets blamed for actions they genuinely  have little control over.

As I understand it, many cases are never properly diagnosed as it manifests so differently for different people. A large % of the homeless population is thought to have BPD. 

My soon to be ex wife is bipolar, and she literally lost 2 months of her life shortly after I filed. For me I could no longer stick with her and the manic episodes for my own mental health and Most importantly the safety of our kids. She filed for a restraining order against me because I had to keep calling an ambulance to take her in for emergency psych evals, and she thought these instances were me overreacting. She refused to get help as she spun out of control. Reality, I was trying to get her the help she refused to get. The R/O was my last straw. I was granted emergency custody upon filing for divorce, and weeks after,  she totaled her car and was arrested for DUI. Now she’s living with her parents, jobless, no license, but in the plus she is not drinking and taking meds. If only she could have got the help, and stayed on her medications.

BigBlue_RI said:

My soon to be ex wife is bipolar, and she literally lost 2 months of her life shortly after I filed. For me I could no longer stick with her and the manic episodes for my own mental health and Most importantly the safety of our kids. She filed for a restraining order against me because I had to keep calling an ambulance to take her in for emergency psych evals, and she thought these instances were me overreacting. She refused to get help as she spun out of control. Reality, I was trying to get her the help she refused to get. The R/O was my last straw. I was granted emergency custody upon filing for divorce, and weeks after,  she totaled her car and was arrested for DUI. Now she’s living with her parents, jobless, no license, but in the plus she is not drinking and taking meds. If only she could have got the help, and stayed on her medications.

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Damn, sorry man 

@BigBlue_RI - so sorry to hear. It’s truly a horrific disease. The impact is massive to everyone & can manifest seemingly of the blue.  Very sad story & again, I’m sorry you had to go through that. 

Thank you @Hot Sauce Guy and @Cowboysfan8

Awful awful. Know a woman who was a successful lawyer, who went from that, to smearing her own feces all over herself in a jail cell. Luckily she got the help she needed and is back on the road to recovery. 

Stopped reading after the first paragraph.  Not going to reward hack journalism with clicks.

Hankmoody said:

Stopped reading after the first paragraph.  Not going to reward hack journalism with clicks.

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BSO is a little click-bait-y, yes. I linked to it out of respect since that’s where I got the news. Basically the fact that he’s been arrested 3x in a month outside a 7-11 says it all. Sorry for the crappy site referral. Not sure what makes it “hack journalism” - the whole article is basically 1 paragraph and it says what it says.

Hot Sauce Guy said:

BSO is a little click-bait-y, yes. I linked to it out of respect since that’s where I got the news. Basically the fact that he’s been arrested 3x in a month outside a 7-11 says it all. Sorry for the crappy site referral. Not sure what makes it “hack journalism” - the whole article is basically 1 paragraph and it says what it says.

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"Robbins is most famously known for going missing before the Super Bowl after hitting the clubs too hard." - This statement is patently false.  It was known within days he had a mental episode of some sort and was diagnosed BP when hospitalized immediately after.  Intentionally sensational and slanderous writing is hack journalism.

Hankmoody said:

"Robbins is most famously known for going missing before the Super Bowl after hitting the clubs too hard." - This statement is patently false.  It was known within days he had a mental episode of some sort and was diagnosed BP when hospitalized immediately after.  Intentionally sensational and slanderous writing is hack journalism.

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Ok, fair. I didn’t read much past the part that he’s been arrested again. It’s a very sad story. Don’t shoot the messenger. 

Hot Sauce Guy said:

Ok, fair. I didn’t read much past the part that he’s been arrested again. It’s a very sad story. Don’t shoot the messenger. 

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Certainly wasn't my intention, it's a good topic to talk about.  Many don't understand the disease.  Robbins, like many, was initially misdiagnosed with depression instead of BP.  Some of the symptoms manifest very similarly and many lay people don't think to discuss with professionals the "up" sides of the disease because they are not as glaringly abnormal (unless extreme) as the depressive incidents are.

My father spent 20 years being mis-treated medically for this exact reason.  His highs weren't extreme and usually involved spending moderate amounts of money - a shopping day, a new suit, a new cell phone (in 1984 that was quite a splurge haha).  He was a dentist so even those thing didn't seem like a huge deal at the time but in retrospect duh.

Hankmoody said:

Certainly wasn't my intention, it's a good topic to talk about.  Many don't understand the disease.  Robbins, like many, was initially misdiagnosed with depression instead of BP.  Some of the symptoms manifest very similarly and many lay people don't think to discuss with professionals the "up" sides of the disease because they are not as glaringly abnormal (unless extreme) as the depressive incidents are.

My father spent 20 years being mis-treated medically for this exact reason.  His highs weren't extreme and usually involved spending moderate amounts of money - a shopping day, a new suit, a new cell phone (in 1984 that was quite a splurge haha).  He was a dentist so even those thing didn't seem like a huge deal at the time but in retrospect duh.

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All good. 

and you touch on something I addressed earlier with my friend. She would go on creative binges & produce some of her best work.

I have to wonder if Robbins played his best football while unmedicated. 

It’s a sinister disease in that regard, because while doctors often misdiagnose and mistreat (e.g. Prescribing opioids when it’s a chemical imbalance causing it) the patients often don’t want to be treated as it feels detrimental to them.

If you spend the day driving a Ferrari & someone takes it away and hands you the keys to a 4-banger minivan from 1992, you’d probably not be thrilled either. 

Very difficult disease. Robbins went from starting center for a team in the Super Bowl to getting shot by cops virtually overnight. I can’t imagine what that fall would be like, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. 
 

sorry to hear about your pops - that’s hard.