2009-04-29 - 2:33 p.m.
Been thinking too much about mental illness issues this week. It all started on Friday when a friend was supposed to come over, but then cancelled at the last minute due to a migraine. She has been seeing a therapist the last couple of months for a myriad of issues - mainly that she wants to be declared disabled and live the awesome life of government checks or something - not that there is anything that wrong with her, but that's what she wants because a former roommate had that done and all he had to do all day then was drink and smoke. An ideal day plan for my friend, I guess.
Anyway Evil laughed when he first heard that our friend had a migraine and stated that he believed she wouldn't come over because she was afraid of what he would say to her. I questioned him on this statement and he said, well - she's not scared of you - you always agree with her. I tell her the truth. Of course, I needed more info and we got around to our friend's "potato intolerance". An entirely made up and fictional problem that she has created for herself, which just recently she has learned is causing her health problems.
This caused me to start thinking about how I allowed my friend to have an overt eating disorder for a very long time. I mean, I have actively ignored said "potato intolerance" for over 10 years. Walking away when she brings it up. Not responding when she discusses all the things that have evil potato in them. Seriously - just letting her live in this fantasy world where the word "with" means that something doesn't have potatoes in it. A world where she sends money to a "doctor" in Oregon who tests things for her to see if they have potato in them. No test results nothing - more like a psychic test for potato or something. It was just easier to not fight about what was fake. I had no idea that not eating enough potassium could mess one up that badly, nor did I know that potatoes are one of the most potassium-rich foods, but there you go.
I know there's nothing I could have done to change her mind as has been said to me point blank in conversations with her regarding the health problems caused by not getting enough potassium. She said to me, "Even if it came back that I don't have a potato intolerance, I still wouldn't eat them because not eating them makes me feel better." Okay, what is one to do in that situation? It's the same as me ignoring the health implications of continuing to smoke, but what can anyone else do about it? Nada. I have to quit. They can pester me and annoy me and make me angry at them, but that's it. Same with my friend's eating disorder. I can't have her hospitalized. I can't force her to eat food that she doesn't want to eat.
So I didn't do anything. I let her have her delusional eating disorder. Actively and passively allowed it because it really didn't affect me. Not sure what that means. Just needed to write it out. But then we let alot of people do things that hurt themselves. All the time. We let friends drive drunk. We let friends cheat on their significant others. We let friends drink too much or do drugs. That's what we do, I guess.
