Anxiety Disorder? Clinical Depression?

Or fearful, bullied, or lost?

Candace is the neighbour of a friend. She can’t get out of her top-floor flat much, because of mental demons and physical constraints. She manages to injure herself quite a lot, whether through falls or cuts or burning herself on the rare occasions she cooks, because she suddenly finds herself “somewhere else” and loses track of what she is doing.

She can’t walk very well because of an accident that ended her working days as an exhibition carpenter. She forgets to eat; she struggles to sleep, and out of the blue, she can be floored by flashbacks from her past.

“It’s all just part of this horrible illness,” she sighs, acceptingly.

Illness? Candace was neglected as a child. When her mother caught her in a lie, Candace was beaten with a belt every day after school for a month (she was eight at the time). She had criticisms leveled at her nonstop, and any toys she was given were taken from her, for one “good reason” or another. She didn’t get enough to eat. Sometimes she was locked in the house alone, long before she reached her teens.

Continue reading