Balloon Anxiety: An Update
Posted by s2 | Labels: Kid Stuff, Mental Health | Posted On Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 1:42 PM
There has been a profoundly disturbing turn in the Ballon Anxiety Disorder (BAD) case. The subject was observed releasing balloons out of a house window a couple of days ago. I'm gonna let that sink in for a minute. He let them go. On purpose. This is BAD.
I know what you are thinking, "it could have been an accident". Well, I was there man, you weren't . This was cold and calculated. This was no accident. I saw him take one, stick his arm out the window and let it go. He repeated the exact method moments later with the second balloon. He appeared only slightly remorseful. His only defense was a quiet, mumbled: "balloon...up...sky". Thats as good as an admission of guilt.
I've been pouring over case notes trying to figure out at what point this turn in disposition occurred. It does not seem that he cares any less for the balloons. He still covets them when he sees them, and still becomes quite agitated if he is forced to share or abandon a balloon. However, the release of the two balloons the other day has spawned new sets of theories, and only goes to show me that no matter how much research I do, I know absolutely nothing about this condition.
Was the release a freeing? The ultimate act of love and sacrifice for the sake of the balloon? Does he realize that the only way for the balloon to be truly free is to let it fly away, even at the expense of his immediate happiness? Or was it something else. Was it a moment of insanity? Had the frustration of feeling helpless for so long to the need for balloons finally pushed him over the edge? Did he love the balloons so much he had to see to their destruction while in the grip of a terrible madness? No matter what, it's been causing me to wake up at night in a cold sweat.
Unfortunately I feel I havent even touched the tip of the iceberg on this. No treatment plan is in sight. Right now we are just monitoring the behavior and attempting to treat the symptoms as best as we can. If we hit any set backs or make any progress it shall all be documented in this format.
I know what you are thinking, "it could have been an accident". Well, I was there man, you weren't . This was cold and calculated. This was no accident. I saw him take one, stick his arm out the window and let it go. He repeated the exact method moments later with the second balloon. He appeared only slightly remorseful. His only defense was a quiet, mumbled: "balloon...up...sky". Thats as good as an admission of guilt.
I've been pouring over case notes trying to figure out at what point this turn in disposition occurred. It does not seem that he cares any less for the balloons. He still covets them when he sees them, and still becomes quite agitated if he is forced to share or abandon a balloon. However, the release of the two balloons the other day has spawned new sets of theories, and only goes to show me that no matter how much research I do, I know absolutely nothing about this condition.
Was the release a freeing? The ultimate act of love and sacrifice for the sake of the balloon? Does he realize that the only way for the balloon to be truly free is to let it fly away, even at the expense of his immediate happiness? Or was it something else. Was it a moment of insanity? Had the frustration of feeling helpless for so long to the need for balloons finally pushed him over the edge? Did he love the balloons so much he had to see to their destruction while in the grip of a terrible madness? No matter what, it's been causing me to wake up at night in a cold sweat.
Unfortunately I feel I havent even touched the tip of the iceberg on this. No treatment plan is in sight. Right now we are just monitoring the behavior and attempting to treat the symptoms as best as we can. If we hit any set backs or make any progress it shall all be documented in this format.
