Friday, September 28, 2012
Mania (psychological term) - another mental illness? (Part II)
Maybe, let me share about the symptoms of my maniac colleague, who got into elevated, irritable mood.
Instance #1 - Bus stop incident
Usually when we lunch together, she would take her own sweet time, exploring different canteens, bazaars, visiting the mini marts. This time she bought an ice cream after our lunch, and we slowly walked back to wait for the shuttlebus. It has been a long lunch already and she is still taking her time to walk and enjoy her ice cream. Sounds like someone who enjoys life and food huh? But this is during work and we don't have 2 hour lunch, you know. When I wanted to board the bus, she stopped me. She was still eating her ice cream and said she couldn't board the bus.
What... this is not SMRT you know. Just a freaking school shuttle bus.
But I didn't voice it out. Being the usual me, I kept more thoughts inside me than prefer to saying out loud. This negative energy is engulfing me. Although I don't have a lot of experiments that day, I just didn't like the idea of - having a super long lunch during working hours. When everyone else just took a quick 1 hr lunch and got back to work, why should I take so long? Moreover, I don't want people to think of me as always-taking-long-lunches-girl.
Ok. Back to her. So fortunately a call came at the right time. A colleague asked if I prepared the instrument. Though I needn't have to rush back, I used the phone call as an excuse to return first. Time is ticking and I really do not want to wait anymore. She could enjoy the ice cream and take her time if she wants to.
I need to get back to work so I'm leaving first, yeah.
No response.
I go off first ya. Waving my hand to get her attention.
No response.
Last time. I waved my hand right in front of her face so she must have seen it.
No response.
Great. So I am leaving. What's wrong with her??? Getting angry over me leaving first? I don't get angry easily but I am intolerant to intolerance. This has super pissed me off.
Ok, I just need to vent about this and I'll calm down...
Instance #2 - 7 Eleven incident
Again we were having lunch, this time at a different canteen. She needed to pay her bills and she suggested that canteen. Why don't you pay at AXS machine? It's faster and more convenient and we don't have to go all the way to 7 Eleven. No, she said. She has never used an AXS before and paying bills by 7 Eleven will be much, safer.
She has her way of going all out to explain why the need to do so that way. Ok.
After lunch, we head towards 7 Eleven. And off to the payment she made.
Suddenly, she stormed out of the 7 Eleven. Leaving me behind, still reading the news and waiting for her. I saw her storm off and I was stunned. What's wrong this time?
I caught up with her and she said, the counter person didn't let me pay with masters. I have always paid using masters!! He only allowed NETS this time!!
Er... ok. Then, just pay by NETS? Why do you have to get so angry?
So she went on and on about how the person didn't let her pay by masters. I shall not elaborate on that. Not only did she get angry, she also wanted to walk back to our office building.
You know, our office building is almost 15-20mins walk away... And under this hot sun...
Maybe we should wait for the shuttle bus? Let's check what time the bus is coming.
The bus timing is not accurate.
It said 6 mins, and so, she decided to return by WALKING. Urgh. As I turned my head, our bus came. Our bus came! Yes... 6 mins is not accurate but... our bus came!
She continued walking.
And I felt like strangling her at that point. Why would you walk back to office in this scorching sun? Shuttle buses are free, you know. This is the 2nd incident that turned me off. I responded, by rolling my eyes and storming off faster than her. My friends scolded me and said I should have just left her there and take the bus back.
Instance #3 - Fisher and game incident
This time round she decided to call another friend along, probably because I haven't been responding actively to the things she said.
There was an activity hosted by another company Fisher. Shoot into the ring and win a thumbdrive!
Now she is not just having logorrhea anymore. This is another term which I read - Mania. She exhibits some of these symptoms too...
Labels: Mania, Mental illness
♥Missy Cai at 5:20 PM
I have long suspected that a friend of mine has mental illness, or probably susceptible to one. She has a family history of mental illness, and I would like to think that this will pass on in the genes.
When someone you know, is spiralling her life downwards - what would you do?
Her colleagues shun her. When she began asking me for lunch repeatedly, I wasn't sure if she was the weird one or her colleagues trying to bully her. My first impression of her was, nice person, friendly, chatty and approachable.
But as time goes on, I knew something was not so right about her.
She could go on and on talking. It felt like long streams of words kept coming. The waves, it was hard to interrupt her. Even when I tried to say something - or anything, she wouldn't respond onwards, to me. She would continue her thoughts, which irritated me. First, it seemed like she was centring the whole conversation on herself. About herself. Everything was about her. She wouldn't notice about other people, but think that everyone will know about her. My ears wanted to stop. I was going to leave this person.
A few months ago, she got worse. She started talking incoherently.
All along I knew that she doesn't always engage in what people say. If you tell her X, she'd reply a Z. She just came across my mind as, someone weird. Until recently.
My colleagues organised monthly parties to celebrate each and our birthdays. She was invited too. But I was sick and didn't turn up, and this was what I heard from my colleagues. It was late and the party was nearing an end. They wanted to go home but she was having cramps in her foot (maybe feet, not sure). So this colleague B decided to go to the washroom first while waiting for problematic friend A. When B returned, A said to B, you should wash your feet with warm water so that the feet cramp will go away.
Har?? So who is the one having feet cramp now?
Appalling. She actually forgot what she said and the words became someone else's words?
Ok. She's sick and this is getting... serious.
Yesterday, it was even weirder. It seemed like the whole day she was mumbling something to herself. Don't know what she was talking and I do not want to know. Until colleague C came to talk to me about her. This is getting serious and we think she needs professional help. But how do we break the news to her?
I was googling "mental illness" and "mumbling" yesterday night. Logorrhea came up and caught my eye. It is long streams of excessive speech, sometimes incoherently. The person may also mumble monotonously. It may be classified as a mental illness or suggest underlying illness.
This must be it.
As I look for more information, she also seemed to fit some of other illnesses, or whatever you call it. Maniac. Characterised by
a period of irritably emotions - yes, a week
sudden weight loss - yes
creative - yes, she sings (and dreams of becoming a real singer)
having a grandeur lifestyle - yes
These characteristics are striking and blinking right in front of my eyes. Now, when you have someone around you like that, how do you deal with it? How should I deal with it?
Labels: Logorrhea, Mental illness
♥Missy Cai at 10:38 AM
