Posted by Timne on July 8, 2009, at 23:15:06
In reply to Re: would I do it when I'm happy? ***triggers*** » Timne, posted by Phillipa on July 8, 2009, at 19:13:53
> So how is your friend today? Any better? I'm thinking of is it a him or a her? Phillipa and bet you mean NYC.
Phillipa,
If I knew how to assess this situation, I could offer an honest answer. Physically, my friend is healthier than I've seen in 20 years. I want to avoid gender references, mostly to protect my friend's privacy.
A couple things in this thread show us why it's so difficult to assess this friend. Scott pointed out that people on AD meds are especially at risk in the 3rd or 4th week -- when the meds might really be making a difference but underlying motivations are still present. More motivation coupled with terminal underlying motivations can be a dangerous mix, apparently. It might not just be meds -- there's an old folk story about kicking one demon out, but not replacing it with anything, so seven demons move in to fill the void. It's a very old parable, so the "getting better makes you worse off" syndrome might be a perennial part of the human condition, and meds might just be one of many things that can trigger it.
Then Sigs referred to a person who was able to leave school (as was my friend) and then later checked out for real, and how the ability to step out of untenable situations can be a risk factor.
My friend is still in free fall. The person is working on some challenging tasks, but the economics of the tasks are risky. They must be completed, all the same. Sometimes a challenge like that can keep a person occupied. I see the person pursuing opportunities to add more structure to the daily routine, and to set at least some direction for a mid-range future, but that's the luck of the draw and the economy is currently pppoor.
My friend is also relating some very specific self-realizations about integrity. Why some kinds of intellectual integrity matter more to some people than others escapes me. Maybe it's the way they were raised. The person seems to be saying "if I can't have an honest life, maybe I can have an honest..."
As in the experience Sigs cited, I think this person would go over the railing (did you know a person of my friend's weight would be traveling almost 120mph after falling 600 feet?) before the person would accept ECT or any of the other offerings that look only at the individual's biochemistry but not at the social context and the personal history.
This person is honestly trying to stabilize, but that ability to leave -- especially when there has been a pattern of saying let's deal with this or I'll go -- that's just an unsettling element in this person's history, which is probably why I inquired here about it. But this isn't a jobs board, nor a find-business-partners board, nor a sell-work board, so that part of it is probably beyond the kind of support offered here. My friend needs social support. If some sort of purposeful and productive social structure emerges in that life, our world -- and I -- will get to enjoy a little while longer living with an exceptionally unique and mission-oriented individual. It seems the dice are still tumbling for my very soulful, caring and able friend.
Thanks for asking.
poster:Timne
thread:905409
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20090624/msgs/905730.html