Amnesia in a mental health patient?

[Someday]

Let me preface this by saying I don’t care one way or the other about Carly’s and Sonny’s relationship. I just want a good story where they are concerned. That said, there was very little said about Sonny’s treatment after he regained his memory. I think it was a throw away line or two about him seeing his doctor. He said the doctor said he was good to go or something along those lines.

I would assume being missing and having amnesia for 9 months would play havoc on even the most mentally healthy person’s mental state. What must it do someone who is bipolar?

Do you think they have ignored too much in this story? Will we see it now?

[Clementine15]

l think it has been ignored and hope they will address it now. Sonny has been acting more and more addled, like he doesn't fully understand what's going on in his life. The look on his face today when he saw Carly come in was pitiful as though he were a child and hoped mommy wouldn't be mad about eating that cookie before dinner. He has been unwilling to give Carly the time and space she requests, like he can't understand that at all and it's OK to ignore it. And this romantic getaway/reconnection was kind of silly, imo

[DayRose]

I think a lot of viewers would have liked to have seen or heard about Sonny getting a complete follow up, scans and blood work and many sessions with Kevin. Sonny acts addled and looks unwell. Putting him in a romance with Nina is disturbing.

[believeinme246]

I think that anyone who doesn't mind having sex on the bed where Kiki's dead body was placed has a lot more wrong with them than amnesia or bipolar.

[OLTLBoomer]

Someday heck yes! co sign your post.
Sonny is diagonosed as bilpolar; at least the writing had Phyllis (RN) recognize the mania and had him checked out and placed on med while in NF.
BUT - Sonny's return as a person who has a diagnosed mental health disorder AND a traumatic brain injury (unconsicousness X 2 plus amnesia) is severely lacking.

When Sonny went to GH to see his medical provider the following morning, he said something to the effect that everything was okay - meds were fine (or adjusted). Why didn't his doctor insist on running further tests (MRI) and therapy sessions? Is the lack of participation on Sonny's part why he only received a 90 day supply?

We have watched Sonny try to personally handle what happened to him psychologically with disasterous results - his children are now distant and his actions have slowly pushed his wife away. Dante has really tried to get Sonny to open up - but Sonny blocks him. Carly has been telling him what she wants - the full truth, yet Sonny is unable to say the words as to what he was feeling/ experieincing in NF, and jumps to conclusions as a defense mechanism. His mania is getting in the way of his rational thinking, for pete's sake.

As no one knows of the Mania except of Nina, and Britt (whose lips are sealed), I find the story lacking - shame on Nina. Shame on the people that saw him in full mania and did not say anything.
Sonny knows - and his lack of honesty about everything NF, and NOW the mania on top of it, has led to disaster.

[Someday]

Thank you for expanding on what I was trying to say. Sonny’s mental state was just glossed over by his family when it should have been top priority when he returned!

[taramartin]

First Sonny had his head injury causing amnesia.
He went without meds.
Phyllis recognized his mania and took him to a Dr in NF. The Dr gave him medicine for bipolar but had no access to Sonny's medical history.
When he returned to PC he saw Dr Sullivan who adjusted his prescription his new adjusted prescription ran out.
After a short while Sonny saw Dr Sullivan again and got his prescription renewed.
He has been back on his meds for about a minute.
There is no reason a person with bipolar disorder should be right as rain yet.
Just as Nina withheld the information that Sonny was alive, she withheld the information that he was off his meds. It seems the only way she can get Sonny's attention is to stalk him till he is vulnerable.

[OLTLBoomer]

The sad part about this story line is that Bi-polar disease is treated with both meds AND therapy. And the therapy has been left out of the equation, which does the mental health field a disservice.

Sonny is NOT right as rain and has not been played as "normal" since his return post amensia to PC. Posters are talking about the new kinder, gentler Sonny. Yes, he has changed. I agree and I wonder (If this was real life) if it was the fall, the amnesia, the second thunk on the head, that was giving us this different person. Sonny was on his meds for 3 months after his return. He was off his meds for the last ? two weeks?. Sonny has issues -- they may be psychological, they may be organic due to the brain injury (ies) or, it may the the result of the amnesia. Sonny is not Sonny, and has not been himself since his return to this viewer.

[LadyScorpio2]

This should have been addressed at some point. Sonny has a diagnosed mental illness/bi-polar disorder and likely PTSD from his abusive childhood. He suffered two brain injuries, one in the bridge collapse and the second in the fire at the Tan'o, he had amnesia for 9 months and lived a different life all of that time; all of that had to have had a lingering effect on him. When he came back to PC, he went to see his psychiatrist once that we know of and, most likely that was it seeing that his doctor refused to renew his meds without a follow up appointment.

He should have been seeing his psychiatrist routinely, at least once or twice a week, and he should have had brain scans done at GH to see if there were any lasting injuries. I am assuming that GH would have more sophisticated equipment to determine the extent of his brain injuries than the small rural clinic in Nixon Falls had. Those who know him best, his wife, adult children and Jason while he was still around should also have kept a better eye on him rather than assuming that all was well.

Maybe this will be addressed now but I doubt it.

[CarnyQueen]

l think it has been ignored and hope they will address it now. Sonny has been acting more and more addled, like he doesn't fully understand what's going on in his life. The look on his face today when he saw Carly come in was pitiful as though he were a child and hoped mommy wouldn't be mad about eating that cookie before dinner. He has been unwilling to give Carly the time and space she requests, like he can't understand that at all and it's OK to ignore it. And this romantic getaway/reconnection was kind of silly, imo

This is a really good description: Sonny has been acting more and more addled.

I've found him, since his return from Nixon Falls, to be an odd combination of childish and little old man. I don't mean this as a comment on the actor's looks, because MB is a handsome guy. But the way he stands sometimes, a little hunched forward, with that stubbly white beard, and looking like he doesn't quite get what's going on and is trying to compensate for not understanding -- it makes me think of a garden gnome.

MB is doing a great job in conveying Sonny unraveling bit by bit, but it's very creepy.

[DayRose]

Unraveling is a good way to put it. Also describing him as a childish old man. It's hard to see him this way.

[Clementine15]

lt is hard, yes. The Sonny we have known and loved, or hated, is gone, hidden under this shell of.......what. lt is creepy

[ScrubsFan#1]

It's clear as day that Sonny simply isn't well yet. He should have been having intense therapy sessions and back on his proper meds since day ONE.

But it's all just being swept aside for Nina's obsession - and is excruciatingly annoying AF now.

[OLTL'69]

It is like "you lost your memory for nine months ? No biggie!" Lets get you back on meds. That is all you need. You did not want to find out who. you were Hmmm

[believeinme246]

I'm hoping that the injury to his head caused the part of his brain stimulating aggression to be destroyed and he is permanently changed.

[KateQ22003]

Tell that to his poor cell phone. He scared the crap out of Nina.

[bubsmom]

All of the above and because she is familiar with traumatic brain injuries because of Jason, this is why I am so annoyed with Carly. She seemed to have no compassion for what her husband had been through even though he told her that things were confused in his mind once he got his memory back.

[OLTLBoomer]

I disagree with your statement. Carly want him to talk - she begs him to talk. She wants her husband back, but he has been doing everything the opposite. She recognized that he was off (his meds) and questioned it and he snarled at her. Sonny is the problem here - not Carly (for once).

[taramartin]

I hope the writers are planning to use his state of mind as part of this story. It sickens me that he had sex with Nina - almost any other person would have been less appalling - it better be shown he wasn't in his right mind.
NIna is like a stalker following Sonny around waiting to take advantage of any vulnerability.

[Fightcrab]

Amnesia has nothing to do with bipolar. His memories have been intact, the problem was he could not retrieve them from the memory storage area in the brain. When he had a big knock on his head he was able to retrieve all his memories. There is nothing wrong with sonny now that he takes his meds. He just loves two women and when one is unavailable he goes to the other. If Carly came on the boat he would've had sex with Carly. His behavior is not the result of some mental illness, but his love for 2 women.

[OLTL'69]

I don't get the old cartoon or Gilligan bump on the head curing 9 months of amnesia physically.

[OLTLBoomer]

True - amensia has nothing to do with bi polar.
BUT - Sonny has been a different person since returning. He has not been himself. the Majority of posters have commented on the kinder, gentler Sonny post NF.

[1sbkmcfan]

Sonny should have gone into regular therapy as a result of having had amnesia as well as for not being able end the feeling of being in love with someone he fell in love with during the amnesia. I think instead of he and Carly fighting about him not being able to shake those feelings they should have gone to counseling together if they wanted to try and heal. And Carly clearly has not healed from losing her best friend and man who admitted he had always loved her but was able to compartmentalize while she was with other men and he was with other women. At the same time she also lost Jax who was not only her child's father but also her sounding board who would become her lover whenever she was at odds with Sonny. In fact Carly may need counseling more or at least as much as Sonny does.

[OLTL'69]

This is so true they bothneed an objective third party to listen to them but maybe sort of get the other's point of view. NOT AGREE but see it

[Fightcrab]

There is no point to go to therapy for amnesia now that he recovered all his memories. Maybe he should go for bipolar. However his problem is not medical, but his character. Maybe he is gentler Sonny, but he always had a heart of gold. He was very unique mobster, protecting his territory from guns and drugs. He has love for 2 women, it's his problem.
On the other hand, he never addressed the fact that he did not want to look for his family. He looked into Elijah's background, but refused to look into his own. It does not sit well with me that he is Ok to blame Nina for his 9 months in NF, but never took responsibility for his actions. He had wedding ring, he knew he was married.