Psychologist: Ex-teacher convicted on sex charge diagnosed as bipolar / LJWorld.com

Archive for Monday, October 29, 2007

Disease inhibited judgment, according to testimony

October 29, 2007

A former Lawrence teacher convicted of having sex with a male student has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which inhibited her judgment, a psychologist testified Monday afternoon.

The victim, who now is 16, also suffers from the disorder, according to testimony in Douglas County District Court during a sentencing hearing for Meredith L. Kane, 24. The hearing will continue Dec. 17.

Psychologist Bruce Cappo said Kane saw herself as someone who could help the student, who was having problems himself. It led to a consensual sexual relationship that began in August 2006 and lasted until it was discovered by officials in March.

Kane was in her first year of teaching at Lawrence High School last year. She pleaded guilty in July to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

She faces a prison sentence between five and 20 years, but her attorney, James Rumsey, has asked District Judge Stephen Six to depart from state sentencing guidelines.

Discussion

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29 October 2007
at 6:31 p.m.

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toefungus (Anonymous) says…

Bipolar bears have this problem too. They have sex with the cubs.
29 October 2007
at 7:14 p.m.

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srj (Anonymous) says…

Bipolar is the new alcholism.
29 October 2007
at 7:21 p.m.

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hottruckinmama (Anonymous) says…

sounds like bipolar is in vogue right now…..
29 October 2007
at 7:59 p.m.

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dorothyhr (Dorothy Hoyt-Reed) says…

It's funny. A bipolar sex offender and a thief can get a job teaching in Lawrence, but when I applied years ago, I couldn't even get an interview. I guess I'm too mentally stable.
29 October 2007
at 8:01 p.m.

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Rabbitgoesthump (Anonymous) says…

who isnt bi-polar…
Next time i get in trouble, Im going to use the excuse that seems to work for everyone, Im bipolar but I found god so Im all better now.

-eg
29 October 2007
at 8:02 p.m.

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Rabbitgoesthump (Anonymous) says…

who isnt bi-polar…
Next time i get in trouble, Im going to use the excuse that seems to work for everyone, Im bipolar but I found god so Im all better now.
29 October 2007
at 8:55 p.m.

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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…

Yeeeahhh I'm bipolar! That's the ticket! “Hi, I can't come into work today. I'm bipolar.”

29 October 2007
at 9 p.m.

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Rationalanimal (Anonymous) says…

Birds of a feather…that explains a lot regarding the sad state of our public school system. If it's a female teacher and a male student it somehow is a tragic love story. If it's male teacher and a female student then suddenly it becomes rape, coercion, and salicious manipulation. The law applies equally. These women pervert teachers should not receive any different harshness than their male pervert counter parts. Throw the bimbo in jail. She used an manipulated a 16 year old whose parents entrusted her with their son. Allowing this woman leniency because the 16 year old boy was “willing” erases one more barrier in the way of normalized pedophilia. It also admits that the law does not equally apply to all.
29 October 2007
at 9:10 p.m.

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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…

What if a female teacher wipes her booger on a male student? What happens then?
29 October 2007
at 9:40 p.m.

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artichokeheart (Anonymous) says…

Ms Merideth needs to serve the same time as any male sex offender Bipolar or not. I thought she was suppose to be sentaned today. What happened to that?
29 October 2007
at 9:49 p.m.

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Katara (Anonymous) says…

Apparently there was a continuance. According to the article, it is on Dec. 17th.
29 October 2007
at 9:52 p.m.

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artichokeheart (Anonymous) says…

Thanks I missed the news because I didn't get home in time.
29 October 2007
at 9:55 p.m.

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KU_cynic (Anonymous) says…

It's criminal behavior, regardless of whether judgment was impaired by a condition. Some people say that pedophila itself is a condition characterized by poor judgment and lack of control.

If a bipolar condition is even partially exculpatory with respect to this kind of criminal behavior with children, then shouldn't school districts, state licensing agencies, and schools of education have to screen applicants for such conditions? If not, wouldn't a school district be liable for placing a potentially dangerous person in a situation he or she could harm a child?

On the other hand, if the disabled are to enjoy their rights to privacy and employment without discrimination, then they have to be responsible and accountable for their actions; they can't blame their conditions when they do something bad.
29 October 2007
at 10:06 p.m.

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Made_in_China (Paul R. Getto) says…

Many sociopaths are driven to commit criminal acts because of their disability - doesn't make it any less criminal.
29 October 2007
at 10:08 p.m.

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Katara (Anonymous) says…

I think it is an explanation as to what could have caused this to happen but not an excuse. What she did still is a crime.

29 October 2007
at 10:45 p.m.

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denak (Anonymous) says…

Ok, so I'm not a psychiatrist but I have never heard of someone who was bi-polar engaging in this type of behavior. I'm not saying that someone who is bi-polar can't but usually bipolar plays out in extremes. A person with bipolar usually has a mania stage where they will paint his or her whole house (and the neighbor's too) in 24 hours, or rent a jet or do something that is so high energy that the average person wouldn't be able to do it. The other extreme is severe depression where the person is just not functional.
In between those two stages, there are periods of normality. Depending on the severity and how quickly she cycles, she could have been functioning normal for a long period of time. Surely, within an 8 month period, she had a moment of clarity and thought “mmm maybe I shouldn't be doing this.”
I don't see how she could have been teaching if she was bipolar and not on any medication. There are some effective meds out there like Depokote that could have helped her.

I don't know if this psychologists was her long standing psychologists or if it was one hired by her defense, if it was the former, I would put more credance into what is being said.

Either way, even though someone in a mania stage can be VERY irritional and that should be taken into account in some instances, I don't see how this is much of a defense or explanation and I think she should be dealt with the same as any other offender.

Dena
29 October 2007
at 10:48 p.m.

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janeb (Anonymous) says…

You got it Dena this is a little more severe than buying too many handbags.
29 October 2007
at 11:04 p.m.

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Sigmund (Anonymous) says…

Strange, I figured her for multiple personalities. At least two normal sized women could live in that body.
29 October 2007
at 11:09 p.m.

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beatrice (Anonymous) says…

bi-polar? So sentence her twice.
29 October 2007
at 11:51 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

“Queen” wrote:

“Fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go 'round!”

(Get on your bikes and ride!)”

To which I would add:

“In this case, ride just as far away as you can possibly get!”

LOL!
30 October 2007
at 6:45 a.m.

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justsomewench (Anonymous) says…

(445 words)
30 October 2007
at 2:40 p.m.

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janeb (Anonymous) says…

Thanks JSW so it was not less than 300 words.
10 November 2008
at 9:11 p.m.

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shariberries (Anonymous) says…

I have bipolar (on meds) and it's nothing like that. It's true, if you have a bipolar episode you can't really teach!! You can't hold a job at all, not even a simple one like working at a retail store.MUCH more likely, this lady has a personality disorder- borderline personality disorder is my guess! They often confuse borderline personality disorder with bipolar because both have mood swings. The difference is that borderline personality disorder is more of a disorder that relates to interpersonal skills, interpersonal problems, attention seeking behavior, etc. Also, their interpersonal problems are often in the area of romantic/sexual relations. PLUS, a person does not usually get diangosed with bipolar past their thirties. Even getting diagnosed in ones thirties is not all that common. I'm not sure how old this lady is, but it didn't seem like she was all that young.Anyway, stop sneering at people with bipolar disorder. It really is a disease, and when you are having an episode, you really can't always control yourself. That's part of what makes it what it is. However, when I say not control yourself, it usually has more to do with functioning in life, and making decisions, etc. But I seriously don't think this lady had it, and it's rather insulting to those of us who do that she is calling herself that.If a person had diabetes (the kind that they were born with and had as a child, not the kind that you get from eating too much!) and they had to be rushed to the hospital one day because of it, would you call it “their fault” and “they should take responsability for it”?But this woman is something else entirely. I'd say a personality disorder, because they often can hold jobs and they can go undiagnosed for years (or maybe even their whole life) depending on how severe it is, from what I understand.A bipolar person would think they could fly, or be unable to get out of bed. They'd never harm a child. Not unless something else (unrelated to bipolar) was going on. This woman is a fraud and the judge should find another psychiatrist for her…. to overturn that disorder or diagnose her with a proper personality disorder. It is no excuse for acting that way, and it certainly is not the reason as I see it. There is nothing wrong with having bipolar, it's just like any other medical condition that you learn to live with.