I sometimes wonder if drug companies sit around coming up with things to sell drugs for.

That might be the case in the US. Over here, our psychiatrists are loathe to diagnose anyone with anything. I didn't get my diagnosis until five years after I starting seeking help (and I was ill enough that I had to go to hospital for a bit).

Interesting parallel that I've just noticed: there was the same reluctance to diagnose my genetic musculoskeletal disorder. That diagnosis took over 25 years. (My mother, who first sought help when I was aged 2, was not impressed to hear, 25 years later, that my medical notes from back then branded her 'neurotic'.)

Our NHS: we love it, but it drives us crazy with its "Go away, you've probably got a cold" attitude to everything.

Blueberries are the devil's fruit. They get everywhere.

(We shall not speak of the Blueberry Incident Involving A Rental Car.)

my genetic musculoskeletal disorder

Do you have hyperextensive joints? Hubby's joint and spine problems are genetic, and he was told when he was 13 that he wouldn't live to see 30--which inspired him to live a life of adventure that has resulted in great stories and damage. That diagnosis was done in the last 60s.

An ideal baby shower gift,

Anyone else laughing at the unintentional hilarity of the image this conjures?

What we used to do with Nate was stroke a cold wipe down his bare thigh before removing the diaper. This caused a trigger effect, he'd pee again, and we could then safely change him.

Or the dog

Like the dog cares. Oh wait, maybe that wasn't the issue.

I just always tossed an extra diaper over the danger zone when I was changing Dylan. (Cloth, so I never felt like I was "wasting" them.)

Blueberries are the devil's fruit. They get everywhere.

They're great in muffins. But evil, otherwise. I'm eating a muffin now AIFG!

Like the dog cares. Oh wait, maybe that wasn't the issue.

He looked rather perplexed in that, "Hey, aren't I supposed to do that to you?" sort of way. I should add that Nate also managed to get his father and his grandmother at the same time. I, as the person who was actually changing him at the time, managed to escape, because it was such a... powerful performance, it arced right over me. (Benefit of being short, too.)

Why there was such an audience at the time, I don't remember.

Are we going to have to wrap the Buffista children in bubblewrap?

My shrink asked me if I ever felt compelled to spend lots of money when I was in a "manic" mood.

I have several friends with severe bipolar disease, plus there was my lifetime with my father, whose disease went undiagnosed for many years while he self-medicated with alcohol. They all ran not so much to spending as to grandiose undertakings such as calling the president or calling the vice president of his employer to explain what the employer was doing wrong and getting fired.

Having watched the cycles over the years, I've often thought that just a little mania, enough to take me through a massive cleaning effort or writing 30 pages, might be kind of nice compared with all depression, all the time. The extremes of mania aren't pretty, though.

Yay for understanding grandmothers.

Ugh. Child pee. I potty trained a child when I was a nanny. Then I stopped being a nany. Funny, that.

Connie ~ Indeed. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which involves hypermobile joints and other related things. I'm supposed to be careful regarding my heart and all sorts of other organs, but mostly that's just a 'we'll keep an eye on it' thing.

Wow - what has your hubby done in an effort to have adventures?? I mostly sit on the sofa and try not to dislocate anything. Heh.