My nutty friend

[ganeshalemming]

Well, I've made my first visit ever to a mental ward, because my friend G is in one. G is the girl who traveled to Venice with me a few years ago when I was picked up by that gondolier; I posted a photo of her and me on a sunlit terrace. She's had psychotic episodes off and on for years. She'll be fine a couple of years and then bam, she'll be back

Comments

[moonflowerz]

I think it was great that you support your friend and went to visit her despite your discomfort. I know that I would feel some anxiety about going too.

Is she schizophrenic? How very scary for her.

I did a rotation in a psychiatric hospital during nursing school and I found it fascinating. I have difficulty with my boundaries at times though so I know that it would not be a good field for me. Reality can be so subjective at times, ya know?

As for the mushrooms... YUM! I'm a big fan of morel mushrooms, both eating them and hunting for them. I'd say they are the only species of wild shroom that I trust my identification skills enough to eat them. Do they grow in your part of the world??????

[ganeshalemming]

Schizophrenic, yeah I guess so, with psychotic episodes. In between those she's more or less fine. Subjective reality, yeah I guess that's what it's like for her. I imagine psychosis is somewhat of a dream-like state for her, where people might look like one person and then turn into someone else, or where the thoughts in your head become reality in the outside world, and all the while you're pretty damn sure you're wide awake and NOT dreaming.

Morels (reaching for glossary) ... yes we have lots of those, they're delicious. :) The mushrooms I found are apparently called prickly caps, believe it or not. Yummy. :D I have a healthy respect for mushrooms and would never eat any that I wasn't absolutely sure of. My mom is quite good at mushroom identification and she explains it all to me in detail and I double-check with her mushroom book too.