Do you have any family members whose lives went totally off the rails?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the lessons to learn here? 🤔
Try to catch and treat mental illness early
Some people shouldn't own guns
Peer group and partners is huge
What else

Take mental illness and addiction issues seriously in young people. These problem do not do away without a lot of very hard work and resources.

Yes, mental health is so important. My mother bragged there was no mental illness in the family. Her grandma was paralyzed by anxiety and her grandfather was an alcoholic. Her mother was abusive and had no friends. Mom struggled with extreme mood swings, abusive behavior, anxiety and depression. yep, no mental illness. So when concerns were expressed about my sibling she got out the broom and swept them under the rug. Then she put her ear plugs in. Issues never went away and got worse and now may lead to downfall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend in college was a full scholarship brilliant chemistry major at a T25 from a rural small town who met a spoiled rich kid student who was into drugs and guns but just a poser really. She developed a heroin addiction and blew through her money and dropped out. Her poor parents were so confused but managed to get her into rehab and I think she was able to to finish at state school and stay clean but lost all her friends.

This sounds like a redemption story, a success story really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend in college was a full scholarship brilliant chemistry major at a T25 from a rural small town who met a spoiled rich kid student who was into drugs and guns but just a poser really. She developed a heroin addiction and blew through her money and dropped out. Her poor parents were so confused but managed to get her into rehab and I think she was able to to finish at state school and stay clean but lost all her friends.

This sounds like a redemption story, a success story really.

Agree with this. That she lost all her "friends" doesn't sound like a huge tragedy. If they didn't stick by her through thick and thin, they didn't sound like very good friends. Good riddance.

[Anonymous]

Cousin got cancer, went through several big surgeries, never fully recovered, not able to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. And then eventually they made a different lives for themselves. That includes me. I had to quit my job at a critical time in career to look after my firstborn with special needs. Killed my career.

Fwiw, you don’t fit the bill. Something upended your life that you weren’t in control of, and you reacted the best you could.

Lives can go off the rails for a variety of reasons.