| We all go nuts sometimes. Even someone as | | | | 2. Stay the hell away. When a person goes |
| sublimely well balanced as myself goes off | | | | beserk, it can last a few days. During that |
| the deep end once in a while. | | | | time he will be manically obsessing about |
| | | | whatever insult or injury they perceived to |
| When this happens, the bizarre behavior of | | | | have happened. He is not negotiable yet; |
| the suddenly wacko can bring damage to | | | | don't even try unless your idea of fun is |
| themselves, their business relationships, and | | | | bashing your head repeatedly into masonry. |
| yes, even their furniture. | | | | |
| | | | 3. Watch (from under the desk if necessary) |
| Why do we go bananas? Sometimes we allow | | | | for the real person to return. After such an |
| frustrations to accumulate without releases | | | | intense outpouring, Dr. Jekyll will crash |
| such as "talking it through", physical | | | | from exhaustion. When he emerges, he might be |
| activity or masturbation until we boil over. | | | | in the sheepish, "What happened?" mode. That |
| | | | is the time for love and support. Try saying, |
| Sometimes a situation pushes a button in our | | | | "Wow, you really went through something |
| psyche which releases a gusher of emotion | | | | there, didn't you?" If he says something |
| stored from long-ago pain. This eruption can | | | | normal, like "yes", you are making progress. |
| come seemingly from nowhere and usually | | | | If he snarls or throws his mouse at you, |
| scares the piss out of everyone in range | | | | revert to #2 above. |
| including the eruptor himself. | | | | |
| | | | 4. Have some sympathy. Remember, you have |
| At Evanston(IL) Hospital Outpatient | | | | gone daffy yourself. Remember what it was |
| Psychiatry, where I spent a six month | | | | like. It came from pain, didn't it? That's |
| internship bringing better mental health to | | | | what happened to your psycho, he had a |
| scores of afflicted suburbanites, it was | | | | tsunami of pain. Remembering this will help |
| openly discussed that more people would flip | | | | you be sympathetic. You might need this help |
| out during the full moon. I believe the term | | | | if el loco stabbed you in the eye yesterday |
| they used was "we have more patients in | | | | with a letter opener. |
| crisis". Is this human response to the 28 day | | | | |
| lunar cycle the etymology of "looney"? | | | | 5. Let him talk and offer only gentle |
| | | | guidance. If a person talks enough, he will |
| Perhaps not so coincidently, another 28 day | | | | eventually realize that they got "out of |
| cycle which can bring occasional bouts of | | | | line", but he will need some space in order |
| wackiness is the so-called female cycle, | | | | to realize this. If you offer this insight |
| which is not to be confused with a Vespa | | | | yourself, especially too early, you might get |
| motor scooter. This caused some UFO theorists | | | | your hand stapled to your ear. |
| to opine that women might actually be aliens | | | | |
| not from Venus as originally believed, but | | | | 6. Listening is key. Here's how you do it: |
| rather from the Moon, come to disrupt the | | | | Look into the person's eyes with a slightly |
| football games and bank accounts of men. | | | | sad frown. Nod slowly and knowingly after |
| | | | they say each sentence. Resist the urge to |
| Some say that men have a similar cycle - not | | | | offer your wonderful opinion - this part is |
| to be confused with a Harley Davidson - but | | | | called "shutting up". Wait until he stops |
| men are either too complex, or more likely | | | | talking. Count to 10. Then say one carefully |
| far too simple and random for a true pattern | | | | chosen sentence which is either insightful or |
| to emerge. | | | | encouraging. Repeat until cool. |
| | | | |
| Whatever the reason, when someone you know | | | | 7. To take lunatic handling to the state of |
| goes apeshit, do the following: | | | | the art, try to get him to analyze the |
| | | | triggering event and why it was so |
| 1. Get the hell away. People in the throes of | | | | extroardinarily evocative. |
| a psychotic episode can have superhuman | | | | |
| strength. They experience something similar | | | | 8. To really bring it on home, get your |
| to the legendary adrenalin rush which allows | | | | nutcase to commit to monitoring his |
| animal activists to lift cars off pinned-down | | | | reactions, so that if another triggering |
| pussy cats, a frequent sight in my | | | | event occurs in the future, he will be ready |
| neighborhood. Nutcases in full bloom can | | | | with a better, more adaptive behavior. This |
| easily turn your head all the way around - | | | | might include removing himself from the |
| remember Linda Blair in The Exorcist? - by | | | | situation with a planned excuse like, "Pardon |
| grasping it lightly between thumb and | | | | me but I must leave this meeting unexpectedly |
| forefinger. | | | | because my dry cleaning is ready. |
| | | | |