I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Hi.  I've been running around since yesterday morning - ah the Christmas season - so haven't weighed in.  Sending my support to Chick and Glenna and anyone else who has had to struggle with mental health issues with their children.  I haven't had the violence issue - at least not against others- but I'vealso had to deal with a child's mental health problems. My youngest also was hospitalized multiple times for depression and suicidal ideation in her mid to late teens.  She couldn't take the stress of high school, and we took her out of public school and let her finish at the local community college.  We had diagnoses that ranged from bi-polar to borderline personality to major depressive disorder.  It turns out that a big part of the problem is questioning her gender identity.  She's doing tremendously now, (and I should probably be using the male pronoun since despite having a boy friend, she identifies as male, but old habits die hard).   We went to so many psychiatrists and psychologists, and I so agree that it is hard to find good people that know what the hell they're talking about.  She was put on so many psychiatric medications that only made her worse, and now, on no meds, and with a better sense of who she is, and she has a 3.92 college average, a circle of friends, and a therapist who understands her.  When she was doing badly, though, it was so incredibly frustrating and upsetting.  Even now, I still hold my breath sometimes, worrying that things could go south again. 

I think just the experience of this small group shows how far we still need to go on mental health issues.  There is still so much we don't understand about how the brain functions or how to treat problems or how to support the parents of kids with problems.  There is still so much stigma attached to any mental health problems.  I just hope this conversation continues.

Hugs,grace, and blessings to Chick and Glenna as well from another one of you.  My son is 42, diagnosed around kindergarten/first grade ADHD and later manic-depressive.  At 42, that as well as alcoholic drug user.  I think the sequence mainly was....use drugs till people won't share theirs with you anymore and you can't afford them, then graduate downward to alcohol.  I'll always care and love him, but I had to leave him in California when I moved back here to home.  For some time he was able to "see" where he was responsible for "his" choices, but I think is losing that.  Most of the time I just hope and pray he will 'make' it ok as he is on his own and was given all the tools we could find along with all the love we had. 

It was hard to leave him, but I often enabled him to a degree.  As earlier stated, he was a great deal of the time better rather than the 'worse" that has shown up these last few years and jmo but I feel the long bouts of excessive drinking which is hard on the body and brain, along with what drugs he could get, have gone into producing a lot of the 'negative' incidences. 

Not to copy-cat.....I've made peace with it all, but just to say.....it's good for me to know how prevalent these things are.  I went thru my "what did I do so wrong" periods about this beautiful blond little boy that I adored.  I'll never cease worrying, but he has to be in charge.  I have a daughter two yrs. younger with virtually no issues......that is my blessing.

Storms here today......I sure think winter will show up by tonight.

Gratified that President is Man Of The Year.  He has had so much to deal with and though of course, he could have done things, a great deal of the time somewhat differently, he has proven that he will fight for what the American people say they want. 

Seems like the "money/tax issues" are still shaky.  Boehner needs leverage that so far isn't there.  Sigh !!! Hope this can get resolved.  Frustrated here as usual. 

All have a great day.

Jackie

Sad and telling that mental illness has impacted so many of us.

Love Mad Magazine!

I've often wondered if the stress from dealing with my daughter's mental health issues is what triggered my cancer. It's interesting to me that so many of us here have, or have had, that stress in their lives. Her problem was pretty much a sudden, unanticipated event(though looking back, I can now see the signs) and the shock was so great, I could hardly even breathe. I wonder what that much stress does to the human body.

Mary

All I want for Christmas is.......

I think your caption is perfect, Chickadee. I don't think I can think of a better one. I love pugs. 

My avatar is my granddog, Annie, and I caption it, "She worked so hard to make Christmas happen."

Mary

WASHINGTON -- As pressure builds on the National Rifle Association to give up some of its hardline positions in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, an advocacy organization is targeting companies that are affiliated with the gun lobbying group.

The NRA's website has a page that lists endorsed companies and services where members can receive discounts. Affiliated businesses include rental car companies, real estate services and hotel chains.

Nearly all of the affiliated hotels are part of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts group. NRA members can receive 10 percent off at more than 6,500 participating hotels in the Wyndham family.

Avaaz.org is calling on Wyndham to end its affiliation with the NRA. The online activism group has 17 million members worldwide and close to a million in the United States.

More here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/20/nra-business_n_2337901.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

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Fingers crossed!

I

Athena,.....gift cards!

We do a decent mix of gift cards and fun little gifts

LOL! (That's how gift cards are such a giveaway).