Posted by S. Howard on December 13, 2000, at 13:34:58
In reply to Suicidal Son admitted last night ----- again!!!, posted by smdd on December 12, 2000, at 10:09:35
Smd-
First of all, I would like to say that my heart goes out to you. What a nightmare for you and your son. Second, I would never suggest "letting him go" even if you could. Although he's adult, offering love and support to him while he's in crisis does not constitute being overly
protective, IMHO.I would like to recommend an excellent book to you...while I've recommended it several times to other people,it seems to apply more to both of you than anyone. It's called "Touched With Fire" by Kay R. Jamison. Here are some comments from the book jacket:
"The anguished, volatile intensity we associate with the artistic temperament, often described as 'a fine madness', has been thought of as a defining aspect of much artistic genius...Drawing on extraordinary recent advances in genetics, neuroscience, and psychopharmacology, Jamison presents the now incontrovertible proof of the biological foundations of this frequently misunderstood disease, and applies what is known about the illness to the lives of some of the world's greatest artists -Byron, van Gogh, Shelley, Poe, Melville, Schumann, Coleridge, Virginia Woolf, Burns, and many others...Jamison reviews the substantial findings from biographic and scientific studies that demonstrate a markedly increased rate of severe mood disorders and suicide in artists, writers, and composers, and discusses reasons why this link between mania, depression, and artistic creativity might exist. Manic-depressive illness, a surprisingly common disease, is genetically transmitted...In some instances - for example, Tennyson and Byron -
these psychiatric pedigrees are traced back more than 150 years...Psychiatric treatment of artists
remains a fiercely controversial issue. Dr. Jamison discusses both the advantages and problems with current treatments, and advocates a humanistic yet firmly medical approach. However, she strongly cautions against simplistic attempts to cure this most human and tragic of all diseases
at the expense of destroying the artistic personality."Best wishes,
Gracie"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." -Mother Teresa
poster:S. Howard
thread:50415
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50502.html