What happens when this is used as a test case for including the right to record the internet habits of anyone they like in the next draconian revision to the Patriot Act? They might have needed a judge this time but all the authorities would have to do is claim it will help them monitor terrorists and the current state of paranoia will have a good chance of pushing any proposed bill through, no matter how invasive.
Obviously I have no objection to getting another vile kiddie-porn peddler off the streets, that's not what I'm trying to get at, it's the way this case could be used by the powers that be to get permission for more cases, possibly monitoring any of the poor bastards they deem to have a high
Terrorist Quotient?
Invasions of privacy are justified in cases like these, but all it takes is one loud squeal of 'terrorism' and they'll be monitoring totally innocent people just in case they turn into Islamic extremists overnight. I don't think it's the case me or anyone else are objecting to, it's the principle.
I once dated a girl who was severely 'messed-up' (if you'll excuse the terrible phrase - she was undiagnosed and my knowledge in this field is still in it's infancy - if anyone reading this can give an insight into what her condition is and some links to some self-help stuff it'd be greatly appreciated, I'd dearly love to help her as I still care about her a great deal) and went through a similar experience to yours - for the purpose of this post let's call her 'M'.
Now M had a history of severe mental, physical and sexual abuse by relatives, and as a result of this had created her own internal world - let's call it 'escapist psychosis' - to protect her from these experiences. She had grown up with these things going on around her and with very little contact with the outside world and so had turned in on herself to escape them.
For the most part, she was perfectly normal, but she had 'episodes' where she would snap and hate everything, including herself that would last from a few hours to a few days. During these times she would have panics and delusions, including intense (and I mean intense) paranoia that I was going to leave her (mostly for her best friend, which I was never, ever going to do, but this didn't stop her threatening to stab us both) and panic attacks about the perpetrator of her sexual abuse coming to get her.
Her permanent belief she was worthless caused her to drop out of college (even though she is one of the best creative writers I've ever met, and could easily go very far in that field) and attempt suicide several times.
She was also very bad at long-term relationships, her hatreds generally destroying anything she builds up with anyone, as the cruelty of her attacks are unbearable at times (she used to leave me in tears over things such as my father dying, losing my 'first love', and other things) and I doubt there are many people that could tolerate it on a regular basis, plus she couldn't enjoy sex or anything to do with sex that much due to her history of abuse and it's repercussions. (on a similar note, my current girlfriend may be incapable of having children due to a physical complication - but that's another issue.)
I sympathise completely with your feelings, it hurts to see someone you care for suffer like that and be unable to do anything. I just wanted to hurt all the people that had hurt her because I couldn't do anything to help her, but that would have only made things worse. I cried many a night away because I felt so helpless for her. Believe me, you're brave posting this at all. All the people in this thread who are posting painful issues like these are.
But hey, I know me saying that doesn't mean much...
First off, can I just compliment you on how brave you were to post something quite so personal under your username - I'm not sure I could have done that without using AC.
Secondly, I have had a few bad experiences with psychosis (be it schitzophrenia, diagnosed or undiagnosed, I don't know) and I know that, though meds are not the be-all and end-all of psychology, they are the catalyst for getting those that have slipped particularly far down the way back on a plane level enough for psychoanalytical methods to be effective (as others have said, you cannot talk people with these afflictions into not believing what they do no matter how good a psychologist you are)
My uncle and father suffered from psychosis, my uncle a diagnosed schizophrenic and my father a suspected (yet undiagnosed) one, both very violent, though this was probably nothing to do with any condition, rather a symptom of their own childhood (details I won't go into). I myself suffer from symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder and I took a psychology course at college to discover more about my suspected condition.
To anyone in a situation where a loved one is diagnosed with a mental illness, or you suspect you may have symptoms of one yourself, that is probably the best thing you can do - if you go to doctors and ask them for their view they could be overly positive, and the media tends to overhype these things and present them in entirely the wrong way - just go out and research everything you can and try to get everything presented to you in an objective way - a course such as the one I took is the perfect example as you get objectivity along with the ability to ask questions of the information you are given.
I learned a lot and am a lot happier with myself now I know what could be going on inside me, and I've emerged from a period of my life where I needed a lot of help and am now coping fine, and my dad, with treatment, was well on the way to that before he unfortunately died of cancer five years ago.
Just research, research, research if you're in this situation - if you're like me, you'll find it reassuring that you know you're not being kept in the dark about anything - remember, knowledge is a powerful tool, both for reassurance within yourself and for helping those that need it.
Slashdot Mirror
Obviously I have no objection to getting another vile kiddie-porn peddler off the streets, that's not what I'm trying to get at, it's the way this case could be used by the powers that be to get permission for more cases, possibly monitoring any of the poor bastards they deem to have a high Terrorist Quotient?
Invasions of privacy are justified in cases like these, but all it takes is one loud squeal of 'terrorism' and they'll be monitoring totally innocent people just in case they turn into Islamic extremists overnight. I don't think it's the case me or anyone else are objecting to, it's the principle.
--
I once dated a girl who was severely 'messed-up' (if you'll excuse the terrible phrase - she was undiagnosed and my knowledge in this field is still in it's infancy - if anyone reading this can give an insight into what her condition is and some links to some self-help stuff it'd be greatly appreciated, I'd dearly love to help her as I still care about her a great deal) and went through a similar experience to yours - for the purpose of this post let's call her 'M'.
Now M had a history of severe mental, physical and sexual abuse by relatives, and as a result of this had created her own internal world - let's call it 'escapist psychosis' - to protect her from these experiences. She had grown up with these things going on around her and with very little contact with the outside world and so had turned in on herself to escape them.
For the most part, she was perfectly normal, but she had 'episodes' where she would snap and hate everything, including herself that would last from a few hours to a few days. During these times she would have panics and delusions, including intense (and I mean intense) paranoia that I was going to leave her (mostly for her best friend, which I was never, ever going to do, but this didn't stop her threatening to stab us both) and panic attacks about the perpetrator of her sexual abuse coming to get her.
Her permanent belief she was worthless caused her to drop out of college (even though she is one of the best creative writers I've ever met, and could easily go very far in that field) and attempt suicide several times.
She was also very bad at long-term relationships, her hatreds generally destroying anything she builds up with anyone, as the cruelty of her attacks are unbearable at times (she used to leave me in tears over things such as my father dying, losing my 'first love', and other things) and I doubt there are many people that could tolerate it on a regular basis, plus she couldn't enjoy sex or anything to do with sex that much due to her history of abuse and it's repercussions. (on a similar note, my current girlfriend may be incapable of having children due to a physical complication - but that's another issue.)
I sympathise completely with your feelings, it hurts to see someone you care for suffer like that and be unable to do anything. I just wanted to hurt all the people that had hurt her because I couldn't do anything to help her, but that would have only made things worse. I cried many a night away because I felt so helpless for her. Believe me, you're brave posting this at all. All the people in this thread who are posting painful issues like these are.
But hey, I know me saying that doesn't mean much...
Secondly, I have had a few bad experiences with psychosis (be it schitzophrenia, diagnosed or undiagnosed, I don't know) and I know that, though meds are not the be-all and end-all of psychology, they are the catalyst for getting those that have slipped particularly far down the way back on a plane level enough for psychoanalytical methods to be effective (as others have said, you cannot talk people with these afflictions into not believing what they do no matter how good a psychologist you are)
My uncle and father suffered from psychosis, my uncle a diagnosed schizophrenic and my father a suspected (yet undiagnosed) one, both very violent, though this was probably nothing to do with any condition, rather a symptom of their own childhood (details I won't go into). I myself suffer from symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder and I took a psychology course at college to discover more about my suspected condition.
To anyone in a situation where a loved one is diagnosed with a mental illness, or you suspect you may have symptoms of one yourself, that is probably the best thing you can do - if you go to doctors and ask them for their view they could be overly positive, and the media tends to overhype these things and present them in entirely the wrong way - just go out and research everything you can and try to get everything presented to you in an objective way - a course such as the one I took is the perfect example as you get objectivity along with the ability to ask questions of the information you are given.
I learned a lot and am a lot happier with myself now I know what could be going on inside me, and I've emerged from a period of my life where I needed a lot of help and am now coping fine, and my dad, with treatment, was well on the way to that before he unfortunately died of cancer five years ago.
Just research, research, research if you're in this situation - if you're like me, you'll find it reassuring that you know you're not being kept in the dark about anything - remember, knowledge is a powerful tool, both for reassurance within yourself and for helping those that need it.