[maxwell]

Thanks, doc... I reckon I have more than one screw loose, but I know durn well which ones they are, so I have a hard time understanding, and dealing with, "depressed" folks. Especially when their depression is of the "neurotic" sort, in my experience, often engineered to manipulate and elicit certain desired behavior from those around the neurotic individual. "Drama queen/king" syndrome. (Hey, I coined a new syndrome! Call the shrink board!)

Me being decidedly in the pull-up-yer-boot-straps-and-buckle-to-it camp, I have little patience for what I consider to be partly (I said partly, y'all) a self-induced character flaw. Y'all can start in now with "you don't understand! It's a disease! It's a chemical imbalance! You insensitive clod" but let me ask you this-- how does one really know how much of the behavior in question stems from genuine illness of sorts, and how much is, as I said above, manipulation on the part of the "affected" individual? One doesn't know. I admit that I tend to withhold benefit of doubt in this area...

[Cogadh na Sith]

how does one really know how much of the behavior in question stems from genuine illness of sorts, and how much is, as I said above, manipulation on the part of the "affected" individual? One doesn't know.

I guess if they actually succeed in snuffing themselves you know they weren't faking it.