Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: The Graham County Sheriff’s Office assisted a man who was apparently suffering the effects of his mental illness last Saturday when he took off his clothes in the Central Self Storage parking lot.
By Jon Johnson
CENTRAL – On Saturday, Dec. 7, a Glendale man who reportedly suffers from bipolar mental illness was found sitting naked in his white, Toyota sedan in the parking lot of Central Self Storage around 1 p.m.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, the reporting party returned to the business to find the man standing by the fence at the front of the parking lot. When the responding party parked, the man returned to his car. The responding party then called Graham County Dispatch due to his concern for the man.
While the man appeared agitated, confused, and could not form coherent statements, he eventually gave his name and the name of his mother and her telephone number. Pima Police officers initially arrived at the scene and had already requested a medical evaluation. Paramedics from Lifeline Ambulance later arrived and transported the man to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The man’s mother was contacted in Phoenix, and she informed the deputy of her son’s condition and that she was unsure if he had been taking his medication. She agreed to travel from Phoenix to pick him up and remove the vehicle from the storage center’s parking lot.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder – also known as manic-depressive illness – is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. There are four types of bipolar disorder with moods ranging from periods of extreme elation known as manic episodes to very sad, hopeless periods known as depressive episodes.
