Mental Health Treatment in the County Jail System:

Natty's Story

by Teresa Wilson
AC Content Producer
Teresa's CP Page

Natty (not her real name), was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, manic-depression, when she was in her late twenties and began a series of different medications to help her control her extreme mood swings between super manic highs and suicidal depressed lows. Life was difficult for Natty as she tried to deal with her bipolar disorder and she began experimenting with drugs and became addicted to crack, heroin, and whatever drug was available that could get her high. She lost her job, her home, and her family. She stayed with whatever drug friend that still happened to have a place to live and even lived on the streets for awhile, gathering aluminum cans from the garbage to help support her drug habit. Her only friends were other substance abusers who all lived on the edges of society just as she did. Even on her medications, Natty wanted to die and was frequently trying to kill herself by daring others to shoot her, stab her, and just kill her already! Once she even started to jump off an overpass into the freeway oncoming traffic but backed out at the last minute when she had the thought that she might survive the fall. Natty hung out with the wrong people and was eventually arrested and charged with receiving stolen property and sentenced to six months in the county jail.


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