Mental illness in your life?

Joker

remster

few will
1) believe they are truly crazy if they are
2) admit it

If you are sane, and someone postulates you are crazy, how do you defend against that?
"I am not crazy"? They always say that!
"Ok, then I am crazy!" Here's your straightjacket Sir! Slam.

Joker

I am curious to see what percentage of people here have had to or deal with this issue. This in part was a factor in my father going way too far having diabetes. It was like a death sentence to him and he never recovered. I remember months leading up to his death he would talk of life insurance policies and he got real emotional. You would have to know my father and his warped sense of humor. Looking back now of course there were signs all over but at the time he just seemed like Jerry. I didn't even know he was on medication for his depression. He was not an open person about his feelings. If there is such a thing as indirect suicide that is what he did.

I didn't post this to be a downer but I am currently working on a new painting and I have had to revisit some past emotions and issues with my father. The name of the painting is Toxic City. My father combined with his diabetes and "status in society" were major factors in him choosing the path he chose. He was my inspiration even though his friends and family called him a failure or felt he was. He was at the top of his game in the computer arena and risked all that for a dream of success. People saw his shortcomings, I saw his passion and fire. Towards the end me and him had a father son talk and I asked him a question. I asked him knowing the outcome of his decisions and if he could go back would he have stepped away and risked it all? He didn't even hesitate and said he would. He could not have lived with himself if he had not at least tried again and again and so on. I stil remember when having nothing in the house, my ex-step-mather had left him and the gas had been shut off and we had to cook frozen elk steak in the microwave. He jsut wouldn't accept failure. Finally I had to go live with my mother and my dad had no choice but to return to what he knew, computers. He had no friends and he had no wife. Looking back he no doubt needed me and I wasn't there. I didn't realize how deep the depression was.

I felt it was important to express this, not for attention rather if you know of somebody in your family suffering from this, take time to be there for them and try to understand what they are going through. I was busy in my life trying to get myself straight and head in the direction of success and left my father behind. He was there for all those years I was growing up and I kept putting him off. Saying to myself I have this and this to do, next weekend dad we will go fishing ect. He died and I was able to make the time to arrange his funeral but I couldn't make the time to be with him prior. Interesting how life slaps you back in the face.

Just make the time folks

WickedWahine

My family is about as boring and normal as they come. We could use a bit of bipolar syndrome to shake things up a bit.

And before any he-bitches come back admonishing me for making light of a serious problem, save your breath. I'm only half-serious, and I'm in too good a mood to do battle this morning.

Mental illness is a serious problem, and one steadily increasing in numbers due in part to the autonomous pace in which we're expected to keep up in today's society. The square pegs of our world are given no allowances to fit in the standardized round hole society we've created. It's a growing plague. (Eric, you have that word stuck in my head now, dammit).

PS: That was a very nice post, Joker. I'm sorry that you've had to experience for yourself first-hand what others go through their entire life knowing little or nothing about.

Joker

Thank you WW, for the people who never have to deal with this they are blessed more than they realize. But I think it is also a huge problem and you hit the nail on the head. Toxic City all around us.

Joker

p.s. WW nothing wrong with being a little crazy and I feel the road to healing is being able to laugh at yourself first. Besides it is fun to see and hear things other people do not......they are really missing out on the party going on in my head [img]/images/graemlins/supergrin.gif[/img].


Boy you shuld see the faces of my relatives when I bring the guns out [img]/images/graemlins/laughing.gif[/img] God I love fU@king with them!

WickedWahine

There's definitely nothing wrong with living on the fringe. That was my point in stating that my own family could use a little mental imbalance. If you ask me, the sickest people out there are the stoic white bread complacent types who go through life without any passion or angst for anything at all. If there are any nutters in my family, it's definitely me. And I'm quite OK with that.

Mark O

Any mental problems in my family, you ask?

My sister is an artist. That alone speaks volumes.

Joker

That is why I paint. Show me a person that calls themself an "creative" artist who doesn't have some form of mental issues and I will show you a fake. I am not talking about illustrators, I am talking self expression.

Whitebeard

I'm Bilingually Illiterate.

SRT Mike

Joker,

Are you saying diabetes can in some way lead to mental illness???

WTF?? You're freaking me out man!

Joker

You are screwed man [img]/images/graemlins/laughing.gif[/img]

Seriously though to some people it is like a death sentence. It seems that was the straw that pushed him over into a deep depression. I forget the type he had but he was 5-10 175 lbs and not your typical diabetic. The night he died he drank a 5th of Vodka, case of Corona and no doubt did some white powdery stuff in about 4 hours.

There is no reason why he shouldn't be here today. He was only 56. He left behind more people that loved him than he realized.

Mark O

My sister is an illistrator & paint's on canvas. Sorry to say this, but if you're a painter (canvas, not houses) you're destined to "be out there"...... to put it mildly.

Joker

Ah but she still self expresses herself.

I disagree, I have met some house painters, paint fried their brains. Same goes for auto painters, those guys are out there man.

atx

My family is basically the Brady Bunch. No drama at all.
Then there's me and my invisible friend, Dr. Speckles.

We're a little different.

Joker

I get mixed up, is this Austin as in NASA Austin?

Mark O