A month in ....

[nikohl]

I am nikohl! I disagree with your assessment of the situation! Ó▓á_Ó▓á!

(That's what I feel like given my last few posts... I promise I'm not always such a killjoy )

[thinkslogically]

Ó▓á_Ó▓á

Are you sure about that?

[RocketScientist]

Whether or not Thunt says his problem was self inflicted is irrelevant. He is wrong. And I repeat, mental health issues are NOT self-inflicted. That is not an attack or an accusation, that is a fact.

[SculptsAir]

Can stress be self inflicted? Yes.
Can stress cause bad things to happen to ones mental health? Yes.

Which of these statements do you disagree with?

[nikohl]

The top one, if you must be so bloody reductive. Stress is an organic and twisty thing.

Do you just like arguing, or...?

Edit: Forgot my Ó▓á_Ó▓á. Ó▓á_Ó▓á.

[RocketScientist]

What I disagree with is your entire false dilemma. "Stress" is not a mental health issue.

[thousandinone]

It's kind of a little bit of both, really.

Stress itself can lead to severe mental health issues, and is one of the larger contributing factors to heart disease, among other things.
An individual does have a certain measure of control over his or her stress level- but not 100%, in the slightest.

As such, an individual can significantly limit his risk of complications (physical or mental) linked to stress by taking measures to limit and relieve their stress.
But that's not the same as saying that stress and/or mental illness are self inflicted. They aren't, at all. Furthermore, nobody can predict whether their current stress level (among other factors) is likely to lead to further complications. All strategies for limiting and relieving stress incur a cost of some kind, and most of us live our lives doing a huge juggling act with our various stressors.

I should reiterate: At no point is stress, or any resulting complications thereof, truly self-inflicted. Compare (and I hate to do this) rape. Certainly, an individual can take precautions to reduce their likelihood of being raped- such as avoiding certain areas, moving in a group, dressing in such a manner as to blend in and not stand out as a potential target, etc. But taking all of these precautions is not a guarantee, it's merely a reduction of likelihood; and even if the victim ignores every single one of these precautions, it is still not their fault if they are raped.

What we are dealing with here is a case of the victim/sufferer blaming himself rather than the actual direct causes of the issue- something that happens all too often. Thunt is certainly not at fault for what he has experienced, and I hope that this helps him learn better coping mechanisms and the like to give him an easier time of it in the future.

[RocketScientist]

My bad. I should have been clearer. What I meant was that stress is not a mental disorder. And that mental health disorders are not self-inflicted. As for stress reduction, if I had it within my control, I could get off quite a few medications.

[SculptsAir]

What I disagree with is your entire false dilemma. "Stress" is not a mental health issue.

In that case i must agree with you.
People cant directly cause there own mental health problems.
However, Try to read what i say.

Can stress cause bad things to happen to ones mental health? Yes.

In this part of the dilemma i clearly differentiate stress from a mental health problem.

People cant directly cause there own mental health problems. They can take actions that later result in mental health issues.
For example:
Setting impossible deadlines -> Stress -> Burnout.

Now, i do want to say that i do not suggest Thunt is responsible for his problem. People are not responsible for their mental health problems.

[RocketScientist]

Stress is weird, though. I'm guessing he would have had the same level of stress no matter what deadline he made. He works to whatever the deadline is, and tries to cram in as much as possible. And different things stress different people. I used to wait until the last minute to do all my school reports, write them in ten minutes to half an hour while watching TV, and I was good to go. Other people would freak out from that. OTOH, I have to take a Xanax to make a phone call.

I don't actually know where I'm going with this...

[thousandinone]

RocketScientist, I know exactly what you mean. Pressure/time constraints affect peoples performance in different ways. Some people perform poorly under pressure, some perform excellently under pressure, and some can only perform under pressure. I was the 'term paper done in 2 hours the night before it was due' type myself, heh. The problem is, regardless of whether it enhances or hampers your performance, pressure does cause stress which can build up over time :/ It was easy to keep abreast of it in school, but it's been a lot more difficult in the professional world, even over a decade later. I don't think the mind is meant to work at high intensity for extended periods of time...

[Synch]

Even now, after an explanation from Thunt, we're all still arguing?! Cmon people, lets move on here! Lets all leave him some well wishes and head over so some other off-topic thread. We don't need to keep debating this.

[smjjames]

Stress is weird, though. I'm guessing he would have had the same level of stress no matter what deadline he made. He works to whatever the deadline is, and tries to cram in as much as possible. And different things stress different people. I used to wait until the last minute to do all my school reports, write them in ten minutes to half an hour while watching TV, and I was good to go. Other people would freak out from that. OTOH, I have to take a Xanax to make a phone call.

I don't actually know where I'm going with this...

Lol, I'm a procrastinator too. Also, taking a xanax to make a phone call? wut O.o

Still though, what is clear here is that at the root or near the root, or maybe the catalyst if you will, of what happened with Thunt is stressing over the comic+deadlines+other things plus burnout.

Maybe thunt could do a thing called a buffer. The artist at Gunnerkrigg Court (gunnerkriggcourt.com) himself suffers from some depression issues, however, he does a three day release schedule and maintains a buffer that is, um, a month long at least? While it would take time to build up a buffer, I think it could help Thunt a bit.

@synch, one of your dragon thingies is now a cloud of smoke or something, just noticing.

[SeeAMoose]

Xanax is an anti-anxiety medication that has nothing to do with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Please don't make statements like that.

Also, it is far from clear that it was stress from his deadlines (although that is a possibility). It could also possible that his work schedule contributed to his stress. The man works similar hours to what I did on a political campaign, and has been doing so for years with no real breaks. I was almost crazy at the end of 4 months of 70-80 hour weeks, and by my understanding that is a typical week for Thunt. I can't imagine continuously working the hours he works. The point being that unless Thunt tells us that he was stressed update the update schedule we don't know, and you're just making the situation fit into your preconceived notions.

With regards to the buffer idea, it has been suggested by many people over the years. Thunt has his reasons for not having a buffer. I would also remind you that Thunt does not like unsolicited suggestions.

[smjjames]

Xanax is an anti-anxiety medication that has nothing to do with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Please don't make statements like that.

Also, it is far from clear that it was stress from his deadlines (although that is a possibility). It could also possible that his work schedule contributed to his stress. The man works similar hours to what I did on a political campaign, and has been doing so for years with no real breaks. I was almost crazy at the end of 4 months of 70-80 hour weeks, and by my understanding that is a typical week for Thunt. I can't imagine continuously working the hours he works. The point being that unless Thunt tells us that he was stressed update the update schedule we don't know, and you're just making the situation fit into your preconceived notions.

With regards to the buffer idea, it has been suggested by many people over the years. Thunt has his reasons for not having a buffer. I would also remind you that Thunt does not like unsolicited suggestions.

Sorry, statement removed. I'll also quit with the unsolicted suggestions, just trying to help.

I didn't know working that much was pretty much the norm for him though.

[Jural]

I just want to say that mental health disorders and a nervous breakdown causes by stress do not always go hand in hand. Sometimes stress alone can cause a nervous breakdown, and removing/managing the stress can allow you to go back to where you were previously.

No clue how that relates to the author, but I will editorialize beyond my boundaries a bit here and say that if the author continually works 70+ hour weeks and feels stress from it, he is operating under some false expectations for himself. I hope this experience allow him to set proper expectations for himself. It's a great thing about being self-employed- you can set your own boundaries.

[RocketScientist]

Sorry if I wasn't clear and that contributed to the confusion. I am diagnosed with a panic disorder, which is why I take Xanax.

[Synch]

@synch, one of your dragon thingies is now a cloud of smoke or something, just noticing.

Thanks for noticing. Sometimes dragons get sick if they get too many views or clicks too fast while maturing, so you have to hide them for a bit until they recover

[Krulle]

I love you guys for running this roundabout.
I think I've read all sides comments several times, and still we go on.

But where are we going?

Ó▓á_Ó▓á

[KracsNZ]

Sorry had to jump in (very long time reader, first time poster)

Not sure if it's been mentioned before but there are many self-induced mental illnesses, with (I believe) all being the result of substance abuse (i.e. substance-induced persisting dementia, substance-induced anxiety disorder, hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder). Not saying Thunt has hit the terps a bit too hard, but just thought I'd add more fuel to the fire

Long time fan and will likely remain so, these threads amuse me ;P

[nikohl]

Oh dang, dude. This fire doesn't need any more fuel! You are of course totally right, things like Korsakoff's Syndrome exist and all that good stuff... but as Thunt does not fall into any of those categories (any any suggestion that he "might" is pure speculation at best, slander at worst) ...let's get back on topic. Welcome to the forum!

[KracsNZ]

but as Thunt does not fall into any of those categories (any any suggestion that he "might" is pure speculation at best, slander at worst) Welcome to the forum!

I don't doubt it, if Thunt's missus is anything like mine she would castrate him before he had the chance. My wife is a little Korean ninja, third my size (literally) but she wears the pants in this relationship

Welcome to the forum!

Cheers, always wondered is I should signup, but too much of a voyeur

[SculptsAir]

Can we please get back on the topic?
He clearly stated that it was: self-inflicted pre-super villain insanity.
I mentioned stress from deadlines as an example of a possible cause, but we do not know anything.
And since there are very few case-studies with a negative outcome for his condition, we can only hope for the best.
Or does anyone have experience with preventing post-super villain insanity?

[nikohl]

Do I need to go re-read those tweets? Did he actually say supervillain insanity? Because that is Awesome.

[thinkslogically]

Can we please get back on the topic?
He clearly stated that it was: self-inflicted pre-super villain insanity.
I mentioned stress from deadlines as an example of a possible cause, but we do not know anything.
And since there are very few case-studies with a negative outcome for his condition, we can only hope for the best.
Or does anyone have experience with preventing post-super villain insanity?

I can't tell if you're serious and cross about the topic wandering again or joking and dead-pan.

And I think he did nikohl