Who would believe you?

[AustinBoston]

If you tried to tell them you were pepper-sprayed by a disguised, love-crazed, diaper-wearing astronaut carrying a bb gun?

 :yikes:  :eyecrazy:  :confused:

I don't think Monty Python could come up with something like that.

Austin

[CampDirt]

When I read the story I just envisioned some comedy spoof.  I really didn't believe it was real!  How long before Hollywood jumps on this story?  I'd pay to see that movie...maybe.

[AustinBoston]

The reality is, she's in deep do-do, and serious time in Leavenworth is not out of the question.

I think the feds/DoD will allow the local DA to get first crack at her, but don't expect this to go away quietly.

Austin

[AustinBoston]

In an extended discussion of armchair shrinks and internet nobody's like me, every imaginable diagnosis was proposed for why she looked the way she did in her mug shot (compared to her preflight publicity shot from a year ago).  Ideas ranged from bipolar to manic-depressive to schitzo to a brain tumor and more - all of it wild speculation.  

But the best one was written by true parent.  "I thought she just looked like she needed a diaper change."

 :yikes:

Austin

[wavery]

In an extended discussion of armchair shrinks and internet nobody's like me, every imaginable diagnosis was proposed for why she looked the way she did in her mug shot (compared to her preflight publicity shot from a year ago).  Ideas ranged from bipolar to manic-depressive to schitzo to a brain tumor and more - all of it wild speculation.  

But the best one was written by true parent.  "I thought she just looked like she needed a diaper change."

 :yikes:

Austin

"bipolar and manic-depressive'  are the same thing. I think that you hit the nail right on the head. I worked with bipolar victims for about a year at a local counseling center. I've done a lot of research and had personal, family experience with bipolar. It's ugly. The victim is often highly delusional and capable of ANYTHING during a manic episode (including throwing their own children off of a bridge or drowning them in a bath tub).

If that's the case (and I think it is), she will get off with a mental defense and be put on medication for the rest of her life. Anyway that you look at it, her career is finished. It's a real tragedy.

[AustinBoston]

"bipolar and manic-depressive'  are the same thing. I think that you hit the nail right on the head. I worked with bipolar victims for about a year at a local counseling center. I've done a lot of research and had personal, family experience with bipolar. It's ugly. The victim is often highly delusional and capable of ANYTHING during a manic episode (including throwing their own children off of a bridge or drowning them in a bath tub).

If that's the case (and I think it is), she will get off with a mental defense and be put on medication for the rest of her life. Anyway that you look at it, her career is finished. It's a real tragedy.

From Wikipedia (emphasis added):

"There are many variations of this disorder. Generally, however, a person with bipolar disorder tends to experience more extreme states of mood than others, which can change quickly or last for months...There have also been links to high functioning, notably regarding hypomania ('below mania') and above-average creativity, high productivity, and self-expression."

This might explain how she was not detected by the NASA screenings; but I suspect something else.

Those on the next crew to fly are treated like royalty.  They get THE prime parking spaces; they have their picture hanging in every room and along every hallway; their meals are brought to them, wherever they are; they are just inches short of being worshipped by the ground crew, the others in the astronaut pool, the public, etc.  They have spent decades working towards this, and they have arrived.  

Then the wheels touch down, they have a brief period of debriefing, and they are suddenly nobody.  

The pictures are of a different crew; they loose those parking spots; they go back to being just another warm body in the astronaut pool, and it could be many years before they get another flight - if ever.  They find themselves back at the beginning, competing with people ten years their junior, and they get very little advantage from having already done it.  It's over.

The "fall from grace" that is a direct result of having been successful could be enough to make anyone psychotic even if they were not before.

Austin

[wavery]

Bipolar disorder OFTEN goes without detection for many-many years.

It is a genetic decease and often matures into a manic state at a pre-determined (genetically programmed) age.

Bipolar personalities are often very outgoing, energetic, artistic and highly motivated. They often have "Delusions of grandeur" and exaggerated opinions of themselves.

The life-style that you describe could very well trigger a manic episode. These episodes can be extremely dangerous as the victim feels that they are "Indestructible" and have "Super powers". Often times, they feel that they are on a mission from "God" (very common delusion). They often end up self destructing (dead).

The death is considered suicide but in reality, it is something quite different. They often die in tragic manners, like jumping from buildings or getting involved in horrible car crashes. In reality, they are not intending to end their lives (they feel that they are indestructible). They often jump from high places because they really think that they can fly. It is common for them to be involved in fatal accidents because of their outrageous behavior.

The other thing is that they become hyper-sexual. They are often arrested for wandering around in the nude and offering themselves for sex. They find nothing wrong with this behavior because they feel that they are more attractive then anyone and they are above everyone. In some cases, the bipolar person ends up getting gang raped and/or murdered due to this (and other) outrageous behavior.

This disorder is horribly painful for the family. They are more the victim than the bipolar person (in some cases). A high percentage of bipolar people end up in divorce or worse. Sometimes, they will take the life of the spouse as they see them as an unnecessary obstacle.

I have to stop posting on this topic. It is very disturbing for me.....sorry.

[ScoobyDoo]

The first time I heard the story, (without 'net) I wondered how it could be faster to change than stop to wiss. I was hunting for a 85 ft long praking place with a bathroom.