Wild and Restless

Posted on January 4, 2006 in Bulletin Boards Responsibility

I’ve spent the last few days reading over the bulletin boards at the DBSAlliance.org website. The respondents include at least one poster in rampant and virile mania (or one hell of a case of oppositional/defiant disorder), several codependents of this person, a few newcomers who have genuine problems, and many more compassionate, thoughtful bipolars.

Unfortunately, we bipolars can be given to histrionics. This woman attacked my intelligence and my knowledge without contributing a single fact to the discussion. When she kept hounding me, I announced that I was blocking her. Now there is a long string of responses from her — none of which I can read. I laugh and can only imagine what is in those messages.

Some people think friendship means you have to be an advocate or a defender of what the person is doing to her or his life. I disagree. What I do for my friends is listen carefully and, if the timing is right and I have the knowledge, counsel them. And I don’t waste time with people who get drunk on their own venom.

In the past — on chat rooms and on bulletin boards, I have suggested to the rampaging that they get a blog. Few want to do it. Why? I think the answer is simple: they need the boards to find their codependents. If they blogged, who would read their stuff?