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Lost Boy
Sneaking out, smoking pot, stealing from step-dad’s wallet—Gabi Coatsworth wonders if she should have seen her son’s bipolar diagnosis coming. He’s running along the L train tracks in Evanston,...
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My Son Goes off the Deep End
When Gabi Coatsworth’s son was arrested, she soon learned that the law was the least of his problems.Part of me had been expecting this phone call. “It’s about Jason.” Something bad, for sure. My...
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My Son, Committed
In the third installment of “Bipolar Planet,” Gabi Coatsworth recalls visiting her son in a mental institution.Cedarcrest. It sounded so restful. I pictured it, in the green area west of Hartford, as...
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My Son, Homeless
In the fourth installment of ‘Bipolar Planet,’ Gabi Coatsworth recounts a parent’s nightmare: finding a homeless shelter for her son.Jason would have to leave his mental hospital soon, said the social...
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A Slippery Road
In this installment of ‘Bipolar Planet,’ Gabi Coatsworth’s son, Jason, struggles to stay on the path to recovery.I paid extra attention to the road as I peered through the windshield, which was slowly...
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On the Run
On vacation in England, Gabi Coatsworth receives an unnerving call: Jason, her manic-depressive son, has taken off to Florida with a drug-pushing girl who’s half his age.“It’s Jason.” I could hear my...
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5 Things I Wish I’d Known About Teen Boys and Mental Illness
Gabi Coatsworth has experienced depression and mental illness in both herself and others. Here is what she’s learned. 1. It may not look like mental illnessI was a teenager who wore black, slept too...
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My Son, in Prison
What do you do when your son ends up in jail, 1000 miles away?My bipolar son, Jason, had had enough of life in the Northeast.“It’s too cold and too expensive,” he said. “Plus, in Florida, I can play...
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A Landfill Waiting to Happen
Gabi Coatsworth responds to Tom Matlack’s post about Men and RecyclingYou’d think it would be easy. The plastic, glass and cans go in there, and the newspaper, card and junk mail goes there. The men I...
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Prepped for Disaster
Gabi Coatsworth thought she’d dodged the bipolar bullet when her second son was diagnosed as depressed.We were delighted when Drew was offered a place at the prestigious New England prep school that...
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