My Dissociative
Disorder; Vitamins,
Mental Health, and
the Emergency
Room Mistakes
Did you know mental health
disorders and psychosis can be
spawned by a vitamin deficiency?
It has taken me until my
43rd year of life to discover
that my health has long been
affected by the lack of vitamins.
Twice within the last twelve
months I have lost myself. I
have been hospitalized into
mental health units of the local
hospitals.
Twice it took days to discover
what could have helped me
find myself. It was Potassium.
My Potassium was significantly
low by basic medical standards.
The normal range is 3.6 – 5.2. I
learned low potassium can
cause complete psychosis, mania
with memory loss, and can
cause your heart to race or even
stop. I learned what it meant to
dissociate and hallucinate. It
was scary.
I did not know who I was. I did
not know where I was. There
was days of rampant mania.
My husband who suffers from
the painful disease, ankylosing
spondylitis, kept me safe and
struggled through his own pain
to become my advocate and
caregiver. For years I have
been a strong advocate for his
disease.
During this time in my life I
was lost, literally inside my
own head. I could not escape
the mania. It was like I was
looking into a mirror, screaming
at myself to stop. But I
could not. I had no control. I
(Connued on page 16)
Micki Hogan is a poet and published
author. Micki is a caregiver to her
husband Donnie Hogan and patient
advocate for the disease ankylosing spondylitis,
disability rights and service dogs.
Can Low Potassium
Make You Crazy?
by Micki Hogan
iPain Living Magazine — 15