[Mist]

Yay. I look forward to reading about your views on things as well. I wonder how far into these things we'll get before it gets boring. Then again, how can anything as dynamic as knowledge ever get boring?

We already agree on the Superman issue , and I know you have a similar position to me on different issues discussed on this forum because your posts have often stated my views before I was able to, myself.

My one question (to everyone actually reading this, and not just Supes) would be, "Should we continue our discussions in private messages so as to not annoy the hell out of the others, or would they like to contribute to them as well?"

Recent research:
Also, lately I've been studying Schizotypal Personality Disorder. Interesting stuff. My sister began researching homophobia recently (I think because of me, but I haven't asked her directly). That's an issue I'm going to try to force myself to study in more depth in the future. It interests me, but it kind of makes me physically ill to read about it. Eugenics does too I've found, and I'm currently researching it and the US' 1900 - 1960 eugenics craze. How ironic, eh? We beat off Hitler because he's doing things that are wrong, and, at the same time, we're telling these ten-year old children who we've classified as being too dumb to function in society to chop up the brains of their mates, so we can study them and find out how to create a better strain of human. It disgusts me. Political ideals are also beginning to look very interesting to me on a purely academic level, but I hate them in practice.

About the learning thing, couldn't the jumping through hoops give you experience in the real world when dealing with business hierarchies and bureaucracy? I'd prefer the learning as well, though.

This post has been edited by Mist: 18 May 2004 - 08:46 PM

[der Mudda]

Some very deep and thought provoking stuff from Supes and Mist. I have led quite an interesting life thus far and have experienced alleged "mental illness" on 4 previous occasions.

I have considerable experience of mental health issues, I had to be hospitalized on the sixth day after having both boys, was given medication and I couldn't then breastfeed both boys which was something I had looked forward to doing. We call it puerpural psychosis over here I think in the US it is post partum syndrome.

Der Fadda had Encephalitis in 1995 which led to him having to retire early - with a large lump sum payment, the stress of coping with his very poor initial care in our hospital, sorting out my boys etc. etc. triggered another episode.

No one had warned me that because of the previous history this might happen.

Another strange occasion was when der Fadda and I were travelling in America on a Thelma and Louise type driving holiday from Las Vegas, we saw the show "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" and that triggered another strange episode of hypermania. We got to Hot Springs and I had a very spooky episode, almost magical, but I couldn't snap out of the mania and der Fadda had to have me carted off to the ER again. I spent two nights in a lovely clinic in Rapid City before being able to continue our driving trip. Der Fadda was given a prescription in case I got too excited again but when he found out that it would cost $200 dollars he decided he would take a chance on me!

When der Fadda was ill in 1995 I had to assume the role of breadwinner and he became the househusband so we had a bit of a role reversal thing going on, he became the chatty one with all the free time in the world to do just what he wanted while I had to work over 49 hrs a week in two admin. jobs and do care work as well.

Now we plan to semi-retire to our little spot of heaven right here on Earth - of course I shall still have to do a little bit of work to keep my hand in!

[Supes]

Disassociative Identity Disorder - yeah very interesting one this one. I studied this before it was renamed from Multiple Personality Disorder. I dealt with a few people that had been or were yet to be diagnosed with this when I was working in the Drug Rehab Clinic. It wont come as a surprise to you I'm sure that there is a fairly high rate of this in the drug using community - from very mild to extreme cases.

When you get severe trauma in early childhood, repeated physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse you tend to find commonality in the onset of drug use and mental disorders. Not that this is the only time that these things manifest, but this has been my frame of reference and the anecdotal links are strong enough.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder - Am not as up on this one as I probably should have been, but I tended to see more outright schizophrenic clients than schizotypal. But I can see why it has grabbed your interest. It's probably much easier to identify people in everyday life that exhibit aspects of this disorder.

Puerperal psychosis - Wow der Mudda, this must have been a hell of a time for you. A lot of people woud write it off as Postnatal depression in Australia. It's good you had some good people on hand. If you don't mind my asking, when you had your second child did they prepare you for the possibility of the onset of the psychosis again? This is one that I've only experienced through text books.

This post has been edited by Supes: 21 May 2004 - 12:48 AM

[Jane Sherwood]

Just thought I'd mention that I'm now a senior (12th grade). One more year until I'm free from the burden of highschool graduation and onto the more painful (financially) burden of university.

(*jaw drop*)

Are you serious? With all that stuff you were going on about I would have pegged you for a college student. I don't think they teach any of those kinds of things where I live.

I feel under-educated now...

[Mist]

Awwww. I'm flattered.

*hugs Jane (and risks dismemberment)*

They don't teach any of that around here either that I know of. Don't feel bad.

Everything I've mentioned in this thread has been in self-study. I read about (on and offline), go out and meet people who have something to do with these things, etc. I'm sure there are classes somewhere around here, but they're all university or summat.

As to you thinking I'm a college student, that's not entirely inaccurate. I'm kind of in college, but kind of not, though. I take college courses, and it counts for high school and college credit. The best part is, since grade school is mandatory and this is counting as high school credit, the government pays for it. I'm mostly just getting all gen. ed. and high school requirements out of the way right now, though. Friday was the last day of the term, so now I'm technically a senior. *sigh* I can feel the years bearing down on me.

This post has been edited by Mist: 07 June 2004 - 12:13 AM

[Little princess]

Misty. You clever little bugger.
I don't know what the hell you're on about.

[Mist]

Er. Well...usually Janey mangles the people who hug her, so I added that little section in parentheses to show that I acknowledged the risk and was willing to hug her anyway.