The Cellar - View Single Post - insanity: the journey or the destination?

07-10-2004, 04:10 PM

I think there comes a point when most intelligent people look at the society around them and decide that insanity may in fact be an appropriate response. However, mental illness is not about appropriate responses.

I have a friend who comes from a large family of two girls and ten boys, five of the boys whom became schizophrenic in their late teens to early twenties. This to me seems to be a classic example of a defective gene controlling brain chemistry - most likely sex-linked recessive like the one for hemophilia since his two sisters were untouched by the disease.

Of my friend's brothers, the one who is doing best has done just as Wolf said, accepted that he has the disease and sticks with his meds. The brother who refuses to accept his illness and constantly goes off his meds is the one who spends the most time down at the state hospital. My friend who was untouched by the disease needs no meds and is about as normal as a person can be who has experienced such a great family tragedy. If ever there was a case of gentics in action, I think that family would serve as a textbook example.

In my own case, I have suffered from depression all my life and I believe it to be endogenous (or genetic). My father had difficulty with depression as did his mother - my grandmother. I had been able to compensate for my depression with first the tri-cyclics and then the new serotinin re-uptake inhibiters. When I was subjected to the CO poisoning episode, however, my meds stopped working (big surprise!) and now the doctors tell me that in addition to my other difficulties, I exhibit all the symptoms of someone with PTSD (post traumatic STRESS disorder - not slave!). Apparently some primitive part of the brain which acts as a sort of thermostat for emotions can become damaged by loss of O2 supply as occurs in things like CO poisoning. I'm going thru a lot of testing right now as the docs try to figure things out.

I do my best to keep an upbeat attitude, take my prescribed meds and follow my doctors' advice. I think attitude is an important as anything. One has to acknowledge the problem, but refuse to accept defeat by it.

07-10-2004, 04:10 PM	#10
marichiko Guest Posts: n/a	I think there comes a point when most intelligent people look at the society around them and decide that insanity may in fact be an appropriate response. However, mental illness is not about appropriate responses. I have a friend who comes from a large family of two girls and ten boys, five of the boys whom became schizophrenic in their late teens to early twenties. This to me seems to be a classic example of a defective gene controlling brain chemistry - most likely sex-linked recessive like the one for hemophilia since his two sisters were untouched by the disease. Of my friend's brothers, the one who is doing best has done just as Wolf said, accepted that he has the disease and sticks with his meds. The brother who refuses to accept his illness and constantly goes off his meds is the one who spends the most time down at the state hospital. My friend who was untouched by the disease needs no meds and is about as normal as a person can be who has experienced such a great family tragedy. If ever there was a case of gentics in action, I think that family would serve as a textbook example. In my own case, I have suffered from depression all my life and I believe it to be endogenous (or genetic). My father had difficulty with depression as did his mother - my grandmother. I had been able to compensate for my depression with first the tri-cyclics and then the new serotinin re-uptake inhibiters. When I was subjected to the CO poisoning episode, however, my meds stopped working (big surprise!) and now the doctors tell me that in addition to my other difficulties, I exhibit all the symptoms of someone with PTSD (post traumatic STRESS disorder - not slave!). Apparently some primitive part of the brain which acts as a sort of thermostat for emotions can become damaged by loss of O2 supply as occurs in things like CO poisoning. I'm going thru a lot of testing right now as the docs try to figure things out. I do my best to keep an upbeat attitude, take my prescribed meds and follow my doctors' advice. I think attitude is an important as anything. One has to acknowledge the problem, but refuse to accept defeat by it.