By Joe 

The Wednesday, July 9 edition of the Billerica Minuteman carried the story “Marzilli Indicted,” about Massachusetts State Sen. Jim Marzilli, D-Arlington who “was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges stemming from a day he spent in Lowell that ended with his arrest in a parking garage.”

I feel bad for those who were victimized, but if Marzilli does in fact have bipolar disorder, people need to be reminded that he is yet another victim in this incident – they’re all victims of bipolar disorder.

I can’t say for sure what drove Marzilli to do what he did, because the story was missing some key information. I would have liked to have seen statements from people who know Marzilli. The reporter should have asked family members, friends, and acquaintances whether Marzilli’s behavior was in character. If his behavior was out of the ordinary for him, then it’s very likely that his actions resulted from a mental breakdown.

Near the very end of the article, we learn that “Marzilli served as a state representative for 17 years before being elected as a state senator.” I don’t live in Massachusetts or keep up on the news there, but I would think that if such behavior had been standard operating procedure for Marzilli, his constituency would have kicked him out of public office long ago.

My wife has bipolar disorder and can be a completely different person when she has a full-blown manic attic. When she recovers, she remembers only a some details of what happened and feels terrible for any harm “she” caused.

If Marzilli has bipolar disorder, this story really reveals what people who have this illness must deal with. Now, he not only has a severe illness he has to seek treatment for, but he also has to deal with the fallout – bad press, a costly and humiliating trial, a damaged or destroyed career.

I’m not dismissing the suffering of the other victims in this incident. I’m just saying that if bipolar was involved, we need to be careful about passing judgment on the person who probably is suffering the most.