March 13, 2009
Living with bi-polar disorder
Edwina Kempf, with two of her nine children, Tim Kempf and Kristen Kempf Baumberger, is at the center of local efforts to bring awareness to bipolar disorder. (Photo by Mark McCoy) Click for a larger version.
Editor’s note: The following article was provided by Trista Neisen in the Marketing and Public Relations Department of St. Mary’s Medical Center, Evansville.
Parts of this story by Jan Aylsworth originally appeared in the September/October 2006 issue of Evansville Living. Photo by Mark McCoy. Used with permission.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Shortly after the events of September 11 Evansville businessman Tim Kempf, hospitalized at St. Mary’s Medical Center, removed his white shirt and quickly scribbled a colored-pencil likeness of Osama bin Laden on the back. Beneath the picture, he wrote “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” then crossed out “Alive” and replaced it with “Dead” so that the caption read “Wanted: Dead or Dead.”
Kempf got on the phone to order 5,000 T-shirts in varying colors and sizes. Just before he faxed in the artwork, his doctor intervened and advised him to cancel the order.
At that time, Kempf was a patient in St. Mary’s adult mental health unit, taken there by police at the request of his brothers who feared that Tim was about to rush off to the site of the still smoldering World Trade Center to join rescue workers in their harrowing search for survivors. Years later, Kempf is well aware of the irony that the tragedy of September 11 proved to be the turning point for reclaiming of his life.
Today, the 45-year-old successful real estate developer has achieved a kind of détente with his illness, most commonly known as bipolar disorder. And he’s talking about his struggle publicly in an effort to help others who are battling the disease.
His mother, Edwina “Winnie” Kempf, is pursuing the same goal. With a large financial gift to St. Mary’s Foundation she helped create the Edwina Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center. Located on the third floor of St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Institute on Washington Avenue in Evansville, the center houses an array of services designed to help bipolar individuals cope with the disorder. It also offers educational resources for health care professionals seeking to learn more about diagnosing and managing the illness.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, affects about 2.6 percent of Americans over 18, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Although there are variations, the basic form of the illness is characterized by alternating periods of mania and depression. Each period can be as brief as a day or persist for weeks or longer. Some individuals with the disorder may experience no symptoms between episodes.
During the manic phases, feelings of euphoria, unrealistic beliefs in one’s abilities, racing thoughts and denial that anything is wrong are common. The depressive phase shares many of the symptoms of clinical depression — symptoms such as lasting sadness, feelings of hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide. Substance abuse can also be a symptom of the disorder, as sufferers attempt to self-medicate emotions that are difficult to deal with.
The similarities between the depressive phase and clinical depression are insidious. Because feelings of depression are far more likely than feelings of euphoria to cause people to seek medical attention, the disorder can easily be misdiagnosed as clinical depression. But prescribing anti-depressants alone in the presence of bipolar illness can trigger a manic episode.
Although Kempf never contemplated suicide, and is now doing well with the proper medication and outpatient support, he has experienced most of the illness’s symptoms to the extreme.
“When you’re manic, you feel better than great,” he says. “It’s better than any drug; but you’re so high-energy, people may think that you’re on drugs.” The feelings of omnipotence associated with the manic phase often manifest in extreme behaviors such as spending sprees and grandiose plans.
“The reason I’m talking about it is because I know there are people out there who have bipolar disorder and need help,” Kempf says. “And now, because of my mother, there’s a place they can go to receive it. She’s the one doing the sharing.”
To learn more
The Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center is sponsoring an educational conference, “Bi-polar Disorder, a Family Perspective,” for anyone wanting to learn more about bipolar disorder.
The community presentation is scheduled from 6 to 8:15 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, at St. Mary’s Medical Center Manor Auditorium. Dr. Allan Josephson will discuss “A Family Approach to Protecting Your Child from Bi-polar Disorder.” The conference also features a panel discussion with Dr. Josephson, Kim Derk of Behavior Networks, Virginia Head, the sibling of a person with bipolar disorder and others.
Attendance to the community presentation is free but registration is required and may be done by contacting Brooke Ballard, coordinator Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, at (812) 485-4934 or bballard@stmarys.org.