[quote name="Marianne" post="1617663" timestamp="1445227784
This whole business with the meds strikes me as insensitive and insulting to those who actually are bipolar. I really doubt--although maybe someone can enlighten me-- that going off the meds for three days after you've been on the for some length of time can result in such a quick change in behavior. Likewise, the one pill Jonas forced her to take shouldn't really have any effect.
I'm bipolar, I've taken Lithium, and I have gone off of it cold turkey which is what many people with thought and mood disorders do. Sometimes people stop their meds because they think that once they begin to feel better, they think they are cured and no longer need them. Some of us (me) do it out of depression or anger. Others stop taking Lithium (and other medications) because the side-effects are unbearable. And then there are cases like Carrie: people who feel that they can only perform well, be creative, work, or "see" things when they are manic. As for how long it would take for Carrie's symptoms to reappear, it depends on the dosage and how long she's been on it. Stopping cold turkey for three days isn't a sufficient length of time for her symptoms to reappear at all, let alone trigger the type of mania and psychosis she displayed. One thing to keep in mind is that Carrie has done this many times before, so her manic state will be higher and when she crashes to the ground, the depression she'll fall into will be worse than ever. Each time you go off your meds, the mania is worse. The fun parts like being the life of the party, getting a bunch of work accomplished, hyper-sexuality, wild spending, and partying are much shorter and the psychosis emerges sooner. If this show even attempts to be accurate (LOL!), Carrie should be psychotic, hospitalized because of her behavior, sedated, severely depressed and not functioning. The proper and safe way to get off of Lithium is to taper it off.
As obnoxious as Crazy Carrie is, stopping her medications because she feels she is able to see things or do things better, is not uncommon at all. Many people do it. I've done it a few times (and wound up in the locked ward at Bellevue) and I know people who've done it too. Crazy Carrie and people who do this are a huge burden on their families, can get violent, and angry when challenged. That said, I'm glad we've gotten that part of the season out of the way.
I sort of liked this episode. I hate Saul's new jumpoff; I've hated her from the moment she came on screen.
Based on what Saul and the Israeli ambassador said, Carrie has been giving money to and meeting with Hezbollah which the U.S. regards as a terrorist group. Giving material support to a terrorist group lands you in prison for a long time. Killing Carrie would be a much cleaner and safer solution than bringing a former intelligence officer, who's had previous terror connections before, than having the embarrassment and scandal all over again.