Psycho-Babble Social Thread 717466

Shown: posts 1 to 25 of 25. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

Hi everyone,
I am usually over on the Alt board, but I thought I'd come and check this board out too.
I have been thinking about mental illness and birth order... I am the oldest and suffer from depression; however, I can pretty much function. My brother, who is younger than I am, was hit a bit harder with mental illness than me. I have looked around at the people I personally know with mental illness and it seems that the older sibling either doesn't have mental illness or did not get hit as hard as the younger sibling. Is this just a coincidence, or is there something to it?
Thanks for indulging my curiosity!
Happy New Year!
Liz

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by MidnightBlue on December 29, 2006, at 22:47:04

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

I'm the oldest.

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by Phillipa on December 29, 2006, at 22:50:29

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by MidnightBlue on December 29, 2006, at 22:47:04

Oldest and I'm the one who got hit hard. Love Phillipa sister is very functional on zoloft and xanax

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by Deneb on December 29, 2006, at 23:50:40

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by Phillipa on December 29, 2006, at 22:50:29

I'm the oldest and I have all the problems. My younger sister is the picture of health. She's the opposite of me. She's doing really well in university, she has a lot of friends, is in a good stable relationship with a guy and doesn't have any emotional/mental problems. She's perfect.

I'm doing horribly in university, have no close friends, have tremendous difficulty with relationships, have suffered from depression, is suffering from social anxiety disorder, and probably have a borderline personality disorder as well as an avoidant personality disorder. Oh yeah, I also suffer from bulimia. I sure have a lot of problems.

I just don't understand how I got so screwed up. We were raised the same way. Maybe it's genes.

Deneb*

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)

Posted by Dinah on December 30, 2006, at 9:20:07

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

Oldest.

I wouldn't say my brother was unaffected by my parents, but he's not really an internalizer. Of course, I guess I don't really know his internal life. Maybe he's a really good internalizer.

 

Youngest (nm)

Posted by Poet on December 30, 2006, at 11:37:54

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

Only (nm) » LizinManhattan

Posted by 10derHeart on December 30, 2006, at 13:00:53

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

Middle

Posted by TexasChic on December 30, 2006, at 14:38:36

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle), posted by Dinah on December 30, 2006, at 9:20:07

And we're all pretty screwed up. But l guess l'm the best at coping.

l think its like the butterfly effect, one small thing can change the whole course of your life. So even siblings raised seemingly under the same circumstances can grow up to be completely different types of adults. Not that l'm saying its all out of our control. We take what's thrown at us, and then our decisions (or indecisions) determine our actions, which determine the course of our lives. We just can't always accurately predict what the results are going to be. So we sometimes end up in a totally different situation than we expected. Which is where a T's job comes in. They help you backtrack and figure out where things went wrong, and what you need to do to get where you want to be. At least the good ones do.

That's my philisophical blathering for today.

-T

 

Only (nm)

Posted by Kath on December 30, 2006, at 14:55:54

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

Re: Only

Posted by Declan on December 30, 2006, at 15:10:46

In reply to Only (nm) » LizinManhattan, posted by 10derHeart on December 30, 2006, at 13:00:53

We therefore have no confirmation of the theory that oldest children are more conservative and younger ones more radical, unless I have misjudged Deneb.

I am number 4 out of 5.

 

I meant

Posted by Declan on December 30, 2006, at 15:20:14

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle), posted by Dinah on December 30, 2006, at 9:20:07

if Deneb had been youngest I might have been able to argue that. There might be some small truth in it.
It was true in the family I was born into, and the current one.

(One must be so careful, these days)

 

oldest (nm)

Posted by wishingstar on December 30, 2006, at 16:34:06

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

oldest (nm)

Posted by happykat on December 30, 2006, at 17:52:11

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

Re: Middle » TexasChic

Posted by Phillipa on December 30, 2006, at 19:19:04

In reply to Middle, posted by TexasChic on December 30, 2006, at 14:38:36

T can you find me that therapist? So far no luck. Love Phillipa

 

Re: youngest (nm)

Posted by fayeroe on December 30, 2006, at 19:48:43

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

Fattest (nm)

Posted by tofuemmy on December 30, 2006, at 20:22:56

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

 

fattest? no! tofu-iest!! (nm) » tofuemmy

Posted by zenhussy on December 30, 2006, at 22:45:02

In reply to Fattest (nm), posted by tofuemmy on December 30, 2006, at 20:22:56

 

Re: Youngest (nm)

Posted by Phil on December 31, 2006, at 2:25:15

In reply to fattest? no! tofu-iest!! (nm) » tofuemmy, posted by zenhussy on December 30, 2006, at 22:45:02

 

you silly girl... » tofuemmy

Posted by karen_kay on January 1, 2007, at 10:49:38

In reply to Fattest (nm), posted by tofuemmy on December 30, 2006, at 20:22:56

i'm certain you meant beautifullest...

 

youngest

Posted by karen_kay on January 1, 2007, at 10:55:01

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

i'm the baby. out of my sisters (all 6 of them!) i'm the only one to be hospitalized. i'm the only one to see a therapist on a regular basis. i'm th eonly one to be on medication for an extended period of time. (and i'm the only one to do some really crazy stuff while manic or depressed.) i don't htink my sisters have ever had a full out manic attack.

but, i also feel like i'm the best one :) serisouly though, i feel i'm a heck of a lot better at coping (one sister goes to full out shut down mode. even with little things like cars breaking down or sick kids.). maybe it's more of a blessing that i'm so crazy, so i'll be used to handling crisis? (big question mark??)i also find i'm the most neurotic too. (though my sister babs is awfully neurotic too. then again, who isn't?)

 

Re: youngest » karen_kay

Posted by Dinah on January 1, 2007, at 11:18:59

In reply to youngest, posted by karen_kay on January 1, 2007, at 10:55:01

> maybe it's more of a blessing that i'm so crazy, so i'll be used to handling crisis? (big question mark??)

During the worst of Katrina, I stayed together when all about me were falling apart, and I'm positive it's because I'm used to it. So yes, I think you're right.

 

of course i am :) » Dinah

Posted by karen_kay on January 3, 2007, at 10:50:59

In reply to Re: youngest » karen_kay, posted by Dinah on January 1, 2007, at 11:18:59

dinah, you sound like mr kk. i told him early on, 'it's always better to just say i'm right.' he still does. (i love never being wrong!)

we once (when the cable was out) had a rummy (is that how you spell it? the card game) championship. i told him upfront, that whoever won would be the rummy champion of the world. we also agreed that regardless of who won, I would always say that i had. needless to say, i'm the rummy champion of the world and he's never once argued that when i tell people it is so. i tell you, he's just perfect :)

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by LizinManhattan on January 4, 2007, at 18:00:10

In reply to Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on December 29, 2006, at 22:16:48

Well, I guess my idea wasn't all that correct, with a sample of a few people that is. I wonder if anyone has done research on birth order and mental illness. I should research that... some day.
Liz

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?

Posted by finelinebob on January 11, 2007, at 1:12:24

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by LizinManhattan on January 4, 2007, at 18:00:10

> Well, I guess my idea wasn't all that correct, with a sample of a few people that is. I wonder if anyone has done research on birth order and mental illness. I should research that... some day.

Having been a psychological researcher, I'm sure that question has been stomped to death -- but by clinical psych researchers in several different theoretical flavors. Should you decide to become a clinician, it would behoove you to do that research.

Nah, you'll probably read it in a textbook or journal article.

flb

{...who happens to live up in Inwood and works down in Grammercy, Mizz LizInManhattan}

 

Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)? » finelinebob

Posted by LizinManhattan on January 16, 2007, at 17:57:11

In reply to Re: Are you the youngest or the oldest (or middle)?, posted by finelinebob on January 11, 2007, at 1:12:24

> {...who happens to live up in Inwood and works down in Grammercy, Mizz LizInManhattan}

No longer in Manhattan (we've "fled" to the 'burbs), but a few years back we lived in a rodent infested apartment at 295 PAS (right above the Tossed salad restaurant).

>Should you decide to become a clinician, it would behoove you to do that research.

I do sometimes think about going into research... I just can't see going back to school though!

LizinBurbsNorthofCity


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