God Knows Where I Am

I have never in my life been so mesmerized and crushed simultaneously, by a film. If mental illness runs in your family, you need to see this. It will change your life.

Stunningly accurate portrayal of the innocence of the person with mental illness be it bipolar, schizophrenia or both. It has been four years since my father was arrested with many counts of felony charges living a similar unknowingly, self-destructive path; the late onset of his disease started at age 56 years old. Thankfully, by the grace of God, the court required him to take medication. He has lived with myself and granddaughter for the last 7 years and even before that off and on for ten years. I pray that treatment continues to bless him with good control over this illness albeit imperfect yet striving to beat it. The answer to this is love, hope and forgiveness. Never give up but I know it will hurt.

I knew this was going to be difficult to watch, but last night I finally pulled it up on my DVR. Wow. The filmmakers brought this woman to life and didn't sensationalize her death. Great use of simple but elegant recreations of the house where Linda Bishop spent her last months. The music fit perfectly; the voiceover was compelling. The interviews with friends and family started out light and loving, and you're wondering where did things go wrong for her? The tension builds as her story unfolds, and the unbelievable happens.

I appreciated the panel discussion with the filmmakers and a physician led by Hari Sreenivasan after the movie was shown on my PBS station (KCTS). It helped me better understand how this could happen, and how it relates to the issues of mental health and homelessness in the Seattle area.

Everyone should see this movie.

I'm not into documentary's . But this caught my attention .Cause I see my ex wife in this Bishop lady. so many lost souls walking out there with no hope of a happy ending. I think its the best documentary on the subject of schizophrenia. God Knows Where I Am . I recommend you watch this .

As a former psychiatric patient who ultimately chose talk therapy over medication, it's important for me to understand that psychiatric drugs are often necessary and therapeutic. I'm not sure, however, that the average viewer fully understands how traumatic psychiatric treatment can be, or the deleterious side effects of the antipsychotic drug therapies that were part of Linda's treatment.

It is heartbreaking how the stress of work, being a single mother, and the fraying of family relationships due to paranoia from Linda's illness all contributed to a loss of functionality and a downward spiral, as the documentary portrays. I do feel compassion for Linda's sister and friends and the owner's of the house where Linda starved to death, unknown to them.

The average viewer may not see God in the tragic story, but I'm not sure He wasn't with Linda. You see, she was losing touch with reality and couldn't deal with the treatment her illness would require. An abandoned house must have seemed the only option. But, something prevented her from harming others. Even her imaginary husband, Steve, was perhaps a reminder of love and family, perhaps because she had seen him being part of a loving couple at the Chinese restaurant while she was waitressing.