Jack Bateman has returned! Who's Jack Bateman? I'm Jack Bateman.

I want to preface this by saying I'm a little off tonight and this is kind of a ramble. Better work lies ahead, I am just trying to get the ball rolling.

So, here I am again.
This is actually my second intro to the wonderful ATS community. About 2 years ago I finally joined and was all set to get typing when my issues started giving me trouble. You see, I am what they call bipolar, type 1. On top of that, in the last couple of years my mood swings from manic to depressed have gotten more severe. Right after I joined ATS I started seeing my former talk therapist and I was very up front and honest with her about my hobbies and interests. Long story short, I was basically instructed to stay away from these types of sites because they feed my symptoms with the content presented.
Now I'm not crazy, and I don't appreciate someone acting like my fellow ATS members are crazy either. We are probably more informed than most to be honest. However, it was a rough time and I did recognize that my tendency to be depressed might be being slightly magnified by focusing on the sort of topics I would tend to read about. So I stayed away and tried to pretend the world was sunshine and rainbows, and guess what happened.
Things only got worse.
It's not ATS, or youtube, or Coast to Coast that depresses me. It's an imbalance. If anything, ATS and such makes me happy and feel like I'm part of something meaningful. When I was ignoring the truth for about a year and a half, I was drinking again, I voted even though I didn't believe in it, I was not being who I wanted to be.
So about 4 or 5 months ago I started lurking again. It felt great. I quit drinking, started reading more again, got a new tattoo to commemorate quitting alcohol, got into a better treatment program, and now here I am. But this time I have I goal. I have read a little about mental illness on here, but not a lot. Well, I live it and can tell you some things. I am bipolar, OCD, and have social anxiety out the whazoo. I am actually starting a new treatment program on Monday and would love to type and discuss how it's going. I also would like to invite anyone with mental illness issues of their own to come forward and discuss them with me. If you're already here on ATS, then we know we have something in common.
Anyhow, it's great to be active on here, finally. I look forward to discovering the mysteries of the universe with all of you.
Oh yeah, on a quick side note, is there anyway to boycott these Bill Hicks is Alex Jones threads as a community. I know I'm asking a lot, but the people that are pushing this, Caliberhitter, and a few others are really hateful. I'm a big Bill Hicks fan and I posted a comment on one of their videos and was just attacked from all sides. So I checked out some of their other videos and trust me, this is not the kind of stuff anyone on here would want to be associated with. Just planting seeds, letting you know.

Originally posted by JackBateman
I was basically instructed to stay away from these types of sites because they feed my symptoms with the content presented.

Hmmm, sounds like they have an agenda or something to hide...

Perhaps this:

“Biological psychiatry is a total fraud ” — Fred Baughman,

Welcome back Jack...

Very much enjoyed your post especially because of some of my own personal experiences.

reply to post by JackBateman


I like you honesty and writing style. Everybody has something or other wrong with them. The tricky part is learning how to deal with it.

reply to post by JackBateman

It's not ATS, or youtube, or Coast to Coast that depresses me. It's an imbalance. If anything, ATS and such makes me happy and feel like I'm part of something meaningful.

This would have been an excellent comment in my thread What do you think ATS is?

The part of your statement that concerns me is how you feel a part of something that is meaningful. Just how meaningful is ATS to you? Most come here for entertainment and to pick up little bits of wisdom. Most members aren't on any kind of crusade where they use the information found on ATS to, let's say, go blow up things or shoot people.

So, please clarify what you mean by "meaningful"? Thanks.

reply to post by jiggerj


I am certainly not going to shoot anyone. I just mean that there is meaning behind getting truth out there. I find no meaning in most mainstream media, whereas with ATS, or anything like ATS, despite some of the topics being a little morbid at times, there is usual a message of overall unity and hope behind it. At least with the good posts. I find meaning in searching and learning about the world, and this place is one place I frequent to do that. I really am not sure where the whole shooting and blowing things up came from. Maybe the fact that I openly disclosed a mental illness, but I assure you, I am just a regular guy with no foul intentions. I do have to slightly disagree however regarding the idea that most are simply here for entertainment. There are some very skilled writers here and I believe they take what they do seriously. That's what hooks me about ATS. Even when ideas and theories are way out there, some of the people here can really construct a fabulous thread. Maybe that's where I find the meaning, in the passion certain members put into their posts. And again my friend, I'm not blowing anything up....I promise.

reply to post by JackBateman

I really am not sure where the whole shooting and blowing things up came from.

Nothing to do with you. When I put together a reference of a mental illness and the word 'Meaningful' my mind conjured up the image of someone else that used to frequent here. Pretty scary!

Jared Loughner

Will the real Jack Bateman please stand up, please stand up, please stand up...

reply to post by JackBateman


Hate to burst your bubble there, but everyone is OCD and everyone is BI-POLAR. This is not anything to be ashamed of, rather it is to embrace. This is not to say that some people are not mentally unstable and in need of medication, but it is just indicative of an over medicated society that needs to label everything with a specific cause for a scapegoat to every problem we have.

reply to post by jhn7537


That's Awesome! Just had a good laugh from that one. Thanks.

reply to post by JackBateman



I am glad you are here. See you around the forums!

reply to post by soulpowertothendegree

Hey there, I have to say in a lot of ways I agree. I feel I'm prescribed way too many meds and I hate it. But bipolar, and compulsive OCD are real conditions. I have a long family history of it and it didn't always turn out all that great for family members. I respect your opinion, and I do believe we are over medicated as a society, but honestly, my mania and depression, just like anyone who is legitimately bipolar, is beyond the norm. I'm a great guy and I would never hurt a fly, but if I don't take extra care of myself I will slip to one extreme or another. I have heard for years how everyone is a little bipolar, and that's fine I guess, but you probably haven't experienced mania the way I have. Depression is a more wide spread issue and with the world today I can understand that being a problem for a lot of people. Extreme mania however is above and beyond the average everyday experience. Money spending, rapid speech, thousands of ideas flooding your mind, no sleep, for me there are extreme delusions of grandeur, paranoia, and even voices. I promise it's a real condition that requires treatment. The key is to find a good doc that cares and doesn't just dope you up on whatever samples are given to his office. Getting on meds isn't always a bad thing. It's all about getting on the right meds without over doing it. As far as OCD goes, I can buy that everyone is a little OCD, but there are different levels of that as well. Like I said though, I respect your opinion.

I don't know Jack! Waiting to know Jack! All hail Jack!

reply to post by soulpowertothendegree


I actual think I misread your response a tad. You weren't saying anything negative. You were saying to embrace it, and I do. I just have heard so many people claim to be bipolar over the years when they don't experience what I experience that I get defensive. I totally see what you were saying, my friend.

reply to post by JackBateman


Here's some welcome cheesecake glad you joined.
Very nice intro friend. I can say that I was missed diagnosed as being bipolar for a few years then I had a head injury .... now I'm just extremely anxious and have a horrible memory . But hey, I'm alive and well friend
See ya around.
Enjoy your stay here
Peace and love
-nat the blue eyed cat-

Good morning, Jack, and welcome back to ATS!

reply to post by JackBateman


Welcome back to ATS Jack!

Social anxiety disorder sux, took me a while to get out of that funk

My son is bipolar too, so I understand a little bit.

Looking forward to seeing you on the threads!

Originally posted by JackBateman
Oh yeah, on a quick side note, is there anyway to boycott these Bill Hicks is Alex Jones threads as a community.

Lets not ask that the mods limit our speech simply because you dont like something.

People should be able to post what they want (so long as they abide by the rules) and others can disagree with those posts.

Welcome back.

Welcome back Jack! I too went through something VERY similar to what you speak of. Bouncing around from med to med trying to "get happy". You know which med FINALLY worked? NO meds!! I cold turkeyed my way off of them all. Was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life! Sometime later and here I am. Free of 90% of the symptoms that once imprisoned me. It is not an easy road, but I guarantee you will be MUCH better if you get off all of the meds. My thoughts depression meds and the like is this: You know that they do more harm than good, they just mask any emotion you feel. I mean, the government surely would not allow us access to a pill that ACTUALLY made us feel good, it would be illegal.
Again, welcome back, you will make it through this, believe that

Originally posted by Magister
I don't know Jack! Waiting to know Jack! All hail Jack!

Oooh Jack can't you see... by the dawn's early light...!

Just remembered those aliens from the footlocker from MIB 2