It's amazing that everybody in my family - except for my 3-year-old daughter - knows who Michael Jackson was. He didn't have a hit for nearly two decades, but they know his music, his persona and his fame.
But they don't remember him for bringing a sort of Beatlemania that transcended racial and ethnic boundaries in the early 1980s. They remember him for being the man who displayed what many have called "bizarre" behavior, the falling star who inspired the "Wacko Jacko" headlines that the tabloids loved.
They don't remember the "Man in the Mirror." They remember the man with mental illness. And now, as this tidbit from The New York Daily News seems to suggest, we discover this was not necessarily a case of a missed diagnosis:
While Jackson family insiders suggested prescription drug abuse - specifically Demerol - might have caused the 50-year-old superstar's heart to stop, Elias said it will be several weeks before toxicology results are ready.
What we likely have here is a case of a missed "dual-diagnosis." This was a man who lived out his mental pain in public. But, as millions of people do when they deal with either a diagnosed or an undiagnosed mental illness, they self-medicate the pain away.
We'll find out more when the autopsy reports are released. But we can look at his history - particularly his recent history - and see that the notion of this being a missed dual-diagnosis is not far-fetched.
In fact, it's downright logical.
I listened to his attorney talk on CNN last night about how he felt that Michael Jackson was a dying man four years ago.
As he suffered through accusations of pedophilia, Jackson broke down in his attorney's presence. He patted Jackson on his back, and all he felt were bones.
Perhaps this was a case of anorexia - and one of the leading causes of anorexic-related deaths is a heart attack. Jackson did look frail and sickly for many years, but the shrinking waistline - outside of his morphing facial features - was the most unpleasant sight of all.
But the lawyer thought that the mental deterioration was even more pronounced than the physical issue. It's almost as if he, and others who knew him, were not surprised by this, and they wouldn't be surprised, either, if drugs contributed.
When you live a life of pain and obsession, and you're haunted by a history of being abused, a shot of Demerol is - for many - their only friend.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson and his missed dual-diagnosis
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3 comments:
I come from a family of self-medicators, who used/use other methods (alcohol, food and otherwise) to mask their mental health problems, so I think you are spot on. It's a desperate attempt to gain control over something that can't be controlled without professional help.
Dear Tom:
Thanks for writing this amidst so much speculation about this beloved icon. His pain was always palpable even in his most joyous musical creations. I never believed he was guilty of molestation... always felt that this was a man who had no childhood and spent his adult life trying to recreate it. Regardless of the toxicology reports, his acute inner anguish was obvious for years... what's probably amazing is that the self medication did not claim him sooner.. he tried so many other ways to assuage his pain.
Thank you for writing this.
Hello,
thank you for writing about the most humanatarian-entertainer that ever lived..
I know you had wrote this more than a year ago, but I wonder, now that the autopsy report had been released, what is your professional opinion that caused Michael's death?
thank you
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