Early treatment is best
I have known people who have more than once been in four point restraints in mental health hospitals, and others who have been on up to four psychotropic medications at once. I have known people who have attempted suicide, and even have succeeded at it. I'll throw in poly-substance self-medication, absurd risk-taking, and hair-trigger tempers and leave that as the short list. Offhand, I think all of those people who are anywhere close to my age have been divorced at least once, with the exception of a fairly young suicide. On the other hand, I have known people who have come back very far from the brink. Late mental health treatment is better than none, but early treatment is best. The earlier the better.
I have recently observed a situation in which in individual seems to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Adult Oppositional Defiant Disorder (or some other significant condition? Borderline Personality Disorder? Who knows?). I'd be surprised by restraints or suicide in the individual's future, but whatever is ailing the individual already causes obvious misery for the affected person and those he encounters. A mental health assessment seems plainly in order. I don't know any of the parties well enough to be comfortable suggesting an assessment. Rather, I think my making the suggestion would have no effect except possibly worsening the situation marginally in the short term.
So I do nothing. I've had lots of positive reinforcement of the behavior of staying out of other people's business. My early small forays into not staying out of other's business yielded negative reinforcement. Yet I'm such an empathetic sort.
Note: I'm not a mental health professional.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Lloyd
Bookmarks