My goodness. What a thread! I am a simpleton, born on a poor dirt farm in Indiana and have never lived more than seven miles from that farm. I loved my childhood on that farm and I've loved my 32 yr marriage to Mr rugrat but you all have my imagination spinning reading these posts. Greg, I would love to read a synopsis of your experiences. I am not well educated nor exceptionally well read, so please keep this thread going so I can read along. Love it.
Jumping into this topic... I have had five suicides in my family, including my mother. Severe depression runs amuck within my aunts, uncles and cousins. I have had a little experience with depression, but I usually get manic and want to spread happiness and cheer beyond belief.
The psychiatrists tell me most my family problem is genetic; the brain short circuits from misguided brain chemicals, but there is always a thread of reactive suicide. Suicide born from learned trait, learned reaction to stresses. Solution to stress. The thought of suicide is more accessible to the brain if it was imaginable and 'acceptable' to another family member. Does that make sense? My mom was in a state of depression that meds nor counseling could overcome. Her thought process was wrong. She was hallucinating from her own brain waves. The doctors say it was much like an epileptic brain wave malfunction only instead of coming out as physical seizures it changes the actual thought process and what is unthinkable to us was acceptable to her brain. That was many years ago and I came to terms with it after much research, so I have no problem talking about it.
It haunts me because her suicide is pretty much what has lead two of my doctors to believe that my 'other health problems' are all in my head. They have stalled me around for seven months and now I have a doctor who is determined to get to the bottom of my continuing symptoms. But I am paying for mom's suicide. I am not feeling sorry for myself. I am mad I didn't realize this was what they thought until they finally point blank told me. They should have told me much sooner so I could have gone to a specialist then instead of thinking they were trying to help me. Enough of that. I was gullible.
Anyway it is difficult to tell which suicides in my family were biological and which were reactive. All were tragic. There are strides being made in the psychiatric field but maybe not enough.
That is all I know on that. ;D
Keep up the thread and educate me you guys!! take care, elaine the rugrat...
I have watched sangommas have the same stunning effect on their patients!