"We're all mad here." - the Cheshire Cat
Feb. 28th, 2017 01:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
itgallopsMy immediate family of origin consisted of four people: two parents, two kids. Among the four of us, the following were represented: major depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia (which no longer exists in the DSM, but is, I assure you quite real, under whatever nomenclature they're now using), substance abuse/addiction, binge eating disorder. And that's just the stuff that's been formally diagnosed (except the last item, and believe me, I don't need a formal diagnosis to know I have that).
If you go deeper into my family history (at least on my mother's side, which is where most of the outright raging crazy seems to be), you will quickly find loads more depression, schizophrenia of various sorts, more substance abuse, and God only knows what all else. For example, one of my aunts spent about half of her adult life in a psychiatric hospital until something called the thorazine revolution came along and made it possible to manage her schizophrenia so that she could live independently. Several uncles were hospitalized for psychiatric reasons at one time another. One aunt (who I never met because of her untimely death) tragically suffered from depression severe enough that she committed suicide in her early twenties. At least one other aunt was treated for depression. These are the things I know of, and I suspect they may be just the tip of the iceberg.
My current immediate family consists of three people: me, my husband, and our adult daughter (who is taking her sweet time moving out and making empty nesters out of us, but that's a topic for another time). No schizophrenia, bipolar, or substance abuse here, just plenty of depression and adhd, plus my binge eating disorer. (What, that's not enough for you? Sorry, not sorry!)
That’s the bare bones, and it's all I have the energy for right now.
If you go deeper into my family history (at least on my mother's side, which is where most of the outright raging crazy seems to be), you will quickly find loads more depression, schizophrenia of various sorts, more substance abuse, and God only knows what all else. For example, one of my aunts spent about half of her adult life in a psychiatric hospital until something called the thorazine revolution came along and made it possible to manage her schizophrenia so that she could live independently. Several uncles were hospitalized for psychiatric reasons at one time another. One aunt (who I never met because of her untimely death) tragically suffered from depression severe enough that she committed suicide in her early twenties. At least one other aunt was treated for depression. These are the things I know of, and I suspect they may be just the tip of the iceberg.
My current immediate family consists of three people: me, my husband, and our adult daughter (who is taking her sweet time moving out and making empty nesters out of us, but that's a topic for another time). No schizophrenia, bipolar, or substance abuse here, just plenty of depression and adhd, plus my binge eating disorer. (What, that's not enough for you? Sorry, not sorry!)
That’s the bare bones, and it's all I have the energy for right now.
