Dear editor,
I was disappointed in the recent article on Lee Robin (“Is This Man a Monster?”) dated July 27, 2001.
As a psychotherapist who also went to grade school and high school with Mr. Robin, I felt that Ted Kleine missed a valuable opportunity to educate the public on bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness). This disorder has increasingly been recognized by the mental health profession as a very serious mental illness. However, when accurately diagnosed, it can often be treated successfully with medication. Most importantly, bipolar disorder rarely leads to crimes as violent and tragic as the murders committed by Mr. Robin. A far more common and no less tragic outcome of bipolar disorder is that it can prompt its victims to commit suicide. Although my heart goes out to the family and friends of Annette Lewandowski, I feel that Mr. Kleine did a disservice by leading the public to believe that such crimes are a frequent result of bipolar disorder.
Rae Rich, LCSW
W. Webster