IMO a bad decision is the result of bad intel or a poor decision making process. A brain fogged in crisis has great difficulty processing either.
My personal opinion is that the reason why we don't see MLC in the DSM is because the DSM contains diagnosable illnesses. MLC is a crisis, not an illness. Although I would speculate that it would be difficult to find a MLCer who isn't suffering from depression.
Nobody behaves as they normally would during crisis. It's just part of the human condition. When crisis happens, we go on autopilot, our thinking becomes narrowed and we put ourselves into a sort of psychological survival mode. We all do it. MLC is just a really obvious example of it.
It's important to have compassion for the MLCer, as they are truly suffering. That being said, MLC is not a licence to treat others poorly or behave like a self centered child. It just shouldn't be tolerated. Period.
I think when the LBS gets hit with the bomb, it's only natural to search for an understandable reason for it. We want answers. MLC is one of those possible answers. So is Bipolar, or a personality disorder. It's also more likely a great probability that our marriages simply sucked and our partner could no longer handle being in an unhappy marriage. It's the most common, yet a tougher pill to swallow.
Yes, there are some common behaviours/symptoms between MLC, bipolar & personality disorders; yet there are some remarkable differences. Just as there are common symptoms between depression and schizophrenia: two very different illnesses with two very different treatment methods.
I also wanted to add that there is some mis-information on this thread that I'd like to address.
Bipolar is a medical condition caused by an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain. The patient can control it about as well as a diabetic is able to control their natural production of insulin. It's treatable with medications.
Depression is a medical condition caused by an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain. The patient can control it about as well as a diabetic is able to control their natural production of insulin. It's treatable with medications.
Personality disorders are in a completely different category. They're life long & pervasive. A person doesn't just wake up one day with a personality disorder. Unfortunately, the science isn't there yet to fully understand the causes, but there seems to be a consensus among professionals that there's a perfect storm of biology and life experiences (childhood trauma) that sets the stage. Personality disorders do not miraculously resolve on their own. BPD is treatable with dialectial behaviour therapy & is only successful with complete dedication and cooperation of the patient. DBT is a relatively new treatment (Marsha Linehan developed it in the early 90's, I think). There is no treatment for NPD or sociopathy.
Then there's also the issue of comorbidity which only further complicates matters. This is why I believe it's best to leave the diagnosing to those professionals who are qualified.
Id also like to adress the speculation of the professionals responsible for the revisions of the DSM being influenced by drug companies. This is doubtfully the case. I have a personal friend who served on the committee. She holds both a medical degree and a PhD in psychology. She's highly regarded and respected in her field and has received much (world-wide) recognition for developing a drug free treatment. During the time that she was serving on the committee she revealed to me that she felt inadequate and actually stupid in comparison to her colleagues as she had the least amount of formal education. These are not a bunch of uneducated bozos responsible for these revisions, they're a collaboration of the most brilliant minds in the mental health field today.
M:36 WAH:41 M:16 T:17 D:12 SS:21 Bomb: IDLY 10/29/11 Separated same day, about an hour after the bomb.
