PLEASE PROVIDE 2-3 SENTENCE COMMENT

1. Blough’s story serves as a case study to illustrate not only Bipolar I, but the relevance of Bipolar I to a study of the psychology of criminal behavior because all of his arrests and charges occurred while he was in a distressed state due to his mental illness. This case study was useful as an illustration of Bipolar I because it demonstrated how people with mental illnesses who are accused of crimes, are not always aware of their actions.
2. The things that law enforcement or the criminal justice system can learn about Bipolar Disorder from this case study are that people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder have a difficult time processing thoughts or emotions due to there being different thoughts and emotions going on in their heads that they cannot clearly explain.
3. Blough’s repeated arrests were due to the fact that his mental illness has not been sufficiently treated.
   B. Blough’s story serves as a case study to illustrate the relevance of Bipolar I to a study of the psychology of criminal behavior in that it highlights the rashness of those suffering from Bipolar disorders and how criminal psychology is not linear – it is not a neat line that can be predicted, especially in mentally-ill convicts. This case illustrates this, as Blough is a repeat offender committing various crimes that do not benefit him at all, socially or financially. A sane criminal would never head to prison for nothing.

Law enforcement and the criminal justice system, through this case study, could learn that constantly jailing a repeat offender who is being charged as a result of their mental illness, may not be the best way to prevent them from having outbursts again. Instead of focusing on incarceration, perhaps the focus should lean towards rehabilitation through therapy and medication.

Blough’s repeated arrests could be attributed to his lack of rehabilitation back into society once being released, and also his lack of treatment in the first place. Is he taking medication? Is he seeing a professional consistently? Being introspective? Not focusing on the root cause of the issue means it is still likely to occur.