Sigh. (political)

[rgraham666]

I've always broken rules. And usually without realizing it. I'm not psychotic, just socially dyslexic.

Most of my illness was caused by the fact that I was most often judged by what I was not, normal, and not by the gifts I've been granted. The isolation this caused, and the fact that I couldn't get a job anymore, made me quite ill.

Humans, even in a society that supposedly worship freedom and diversity, don't much care for those outside 'the norm'.

 

[rgraham666]

One of my acquaintances in the university walked into the Mental Hygiene Clinic I was assigned to at Ft. Ord. I was astonished to see him, of course, and asked why he was there. It seemed that the poor guy had joined the Air Force and that they'd sent him to learn Mandarin Chinese. It broke him. I gently took him in to see our senior shrink and then drove him to the Psychiatric Ward. Later, when I was transfered to San Francisco and he was transferred to Letterman General Hosp there, my wife and I would sometimes take him for outings when he felt good enough to go or have him over for dinner. Eventually he was sent to Florida and medically discharged. If he was around SoCal, we'd still always have an open door and a place at the table for h im. Such a waste . . .

This is why I never joined up.

I knew if I joined I'd have ended up like Vincent D'onofrio's in Full Metal Jacket, sitting on a john with an M14 in my mouth and the wall behind me decorated with my brains.

I almost didn't survive the mild conformity of the civilian world. The strict world of the military would be far beyond my ability to handel

 

[neonlyte]

VM, I can tell you from my own experience that most people's reaction to some one they know going insane is to get away from them.

I lost all my friends when I lost my mind. Haven't seen any of them since. My family drifted away a little as well.

No one wants to know about mental illness.

Not quite true, Rob... you had all those voices in your head with you

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Not quite true, Rob... you had all those voices in your head with you

I've never encountered anyone whose 'voices in the head' were the least bit friendly.

 

[neonlyte]

I've never encountered anyone whose 'voices in the head' were the least bit friendly.

Mine seem benign, at least, I can't understand a word they say

 

[rgraham666]

Not quite true, Rob... you had all those voices in your head with you

Now I've got voices in my head. They end up in my stories.

When I was insane I had no voices in my head, not even my own voice. For several years there was almost nothing there at all.

 

[Varian P]

Aw, Varian,

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii177/1volupturary_manque/KissingSmily-1.gif

and

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii177/1volupturary_manque/peacepipe.jpg

Okay?

 

[Powertone]

Conservative talk radio taken to the next level.

that won't be around once your BROWNSHIRTS reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
Demokrauts uber alles!

 

[rgraham666]

that won't be around once your BROWNSHIRTS reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
Demokrauts uber alles!

Huh?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Huh?

My reaction exactly.

 

[Corylea]

I've always broken rules. And usually without realizing it. I'm not psychotic, just socially dyslexic.

We're starting to realize that an awful lot of people have Aspberger's Syndrome, many of whom are perfectly lovely people, just not always socially appropriate. Some of the new research into mirror neurons seems like it might explain the puzzle one day.

Most of my illness was caused by the fact that I was most often judged by what I was not, normal, and not by the gifts I've been granted. The isolation this caused, and the fact that I couldn't get a job anymore, made me quite ill.

*hug* I'm sorry you had to go through that.

And I hear you. There have been times when I've been too depressed to leave the house, and the social isolation this produces only makes me sicker, so I understand about that.

Humans, even in a society that supposedly worship freedom and diversity, don't much care for those outside 'the norm'.

Yes. Since most people follow the rules, once someone has broken one, no one knows which other rules that person might break. It isn't quite as conscious as "Since you don't respect the rules about social distance, you might shoot me," but the underlying response seems to be something like that.

As a vegetarian, bisexual, polyamorous sadomasochist, I know to my sorrow how narrow most people's view of the world is. As far as I'm concerned, the most interesting people are in the "not-normal" camp.

 

[Just-Legal]

And I hear you. There have been times when I've been too depressed to leave the house, and the social isolation this produces only makes me sicker, so I understand about that.

This is something I've been trying to explain to my nearest and dearest for quite a while - when I have days where I'm well enough to leave the house, I HAVE to get out, I phisically *crave* social contact.

Its one of my major arguements with my father - he seems to think I go out to get drunk. I don't, I go out "drinking" (where quite often I have one alcoholic drink then stick to soft drinks or my meds kick me in the arse on a morning) to just... be in a social atmosphere. Stuck at home, mentally and physically sick, with a severely dependant adult, makes me WORSE not better.