There's a lady who lives directly opposite me who has some clear mental health issues. I feel for her, she's sweet and friendly one minute and then in the middle of the street screaming and arguing with rocks, or thin air, or her own foot, or...you get the idea. Schizophrenia or something alike I guess, poor thing.

Anyway it's gotten quite bad lately; a week ago she dragged heaps of rubbish out and strewed it all over her nature strip. When some neighbours tried to put it into garbage bags (it was blowing all over the street and there were mountains of it) she stood screaming very colourfully at them to get away from her property or she'd call the police. (Sure, "officer, I threw rubbish all over the street and these bad people are cleaning it up. Arrest them!!").

Yesterday she had thrown a broken window into the street, and i didn't get out to pick it up but turned around and drove the long way because i didn't have time for a scene if she decided to attack me for touching her smashed window in the middle of the road. Sigh. It was gone when i got home. Anyway last night there was someone with her which i thought was good because she has been having so many attacks of screaming and swearing in the street and I think she's really in trouble. She seemed to be laughing with this person very loudly and I thought they were there to help but it deteriorated into all night screaming again and I realised this male was actually there drinking with her (Very helpful, really. Thanks mate). I realised later it was not her son as I'd hoped but the drunk from down the street. Thought he'd be helpful by taking her around a drink i guess and having a chat. Goody.

He left at about 5am, after a couple of hours standing in the street trying to "calm her down" (after getting liquored up??? Was this his first day on earth or something???)) and she continued screaming until...well, she was still going when I left this morning and there were other people there...actual family members this time I think so I left it be.

When I came home there were paramedics, and police but they didn't take her with them and instead they retreated after an hour or so of her loudly and helpfully suggesting they take their leave please and find some farm animals to fornicate with.

Sigh. I was afraid of her last night, the sounds coming out of her were like something from the exorcist and it was impossible to sleep. (I'm not kidding, at the height of it it seriously sounded as if there were  hundred voices coming out of her at once, it was so seriously disturbing). But I also feel very, very sad for her as she's clearly incredibly ill and I doubt she'll have the freedom of independent living for much longer which is a great shame as I know she values it when she is lucid. But gawd the noise, the misery, the rage and smashing stuff, it's so unsettling. This street is like living in an asylum. It's just draining.

On the other side of town, in my class today (and OH I am loving attending real live classes with real live people again) we were discussing  liver disorders and the teacher made the comment that "if someone is an alcoholic you need to address the alcoholism before beginning any treatment" and several of us looked at her sideways and said "um, OK, but we can't cure alcoholism so, " and nope, she wasn't having it. She just kept repeating that if we were doing our job properly we would be able to make the client understand what alcohol was doing to their health and therefore, they would stop and then we could treat the liver. And then she reminded us that we have all done 3 whole counseling units as a part of our degree so....need she say more?

So, lots of sideways looks were exchanged in that class, because, good grief. Really?

Anyway. Goodness, what a lovely lot of opportunities for me to practice detaching today!!!

I hope for a peaceful night at least. There's been no screaming for a few hours now so fingers crossed this bout is over.

Ugh!!!!!!!!