People v. Samuelson CA4/1

DISCUSSION

After Samuelson filed her notice of appeal, we appointed counsel to represent her on appeal. Her counsel submitted a brief pursuant to Ben C. and Taylor, describing the trial evidence and stating that he found no arguable issues on appeal. On June 10, 2024, we issued an order stating that Samuelson’s counsel had filed a brief stating that no arguable issues could be found and granting Samuelson 30 days to file a supplemental brief. On June 27, Samuelson filed a handwritten letter in which she stated, among other things, that she had bipolar disorder, but had learned to manage it using methods without

medication.2 In her letter, she specifically described how she manages her disorder (e.g., sleeps eight hours at night, drinks 60 to 100 ounces of water daily, exercises, practices self-love, and identifies early signs of her symptoms and gets professional help). She stated that both illegal and prescription drugs have side effects and that she wants to live drug free. She stated that she was “blessed” that her treating psychiatrist had discontinued Abilify for her disorder, citing the side effects she had suffered (i.e., involuntary

movements of her face, mouth, hands,…