Hey, I%u2019m a 17 year old wannabe
writer.
One of my stories is about a boy called
Tom who grew up in the 70s and has a mum
called Eloisa with mental health problems,
I%u2019m serious about credibility so I
just have to check that I am researching
the right illness so I know what to look
at in more detail.
1. It is suggested that he might have has
a daughter called Alice who died aged six
of a heart condition that she had always
had. Tom would have been three years old
when she died and can%u2019t remember is
she actually existed. He thinks that his
parents showed no emotion when his sister
died and there are no pictures of her
around the house and no one mentions
Alice.
cause of this illness: learning that her
daughter would not live for very long and
then losing her.
symptoms: pretending that her daughter
never existed and showing no emotion when
she died any possible diagnosis of what
this could be?
2. Tom feels that his mum shows no love
towards him. She probably had postnatal
depression after he was born or/and when
she was pregnant with him. She thinks that
she won%u2019t be a good mother and
dosn%u2019t deserves to have a baby
because Alice died/was ill and she feels
guilty. It is not made clear if Alice ever
really existed or if Tom is dreaming her
up or if Alice was born a long time before
Tom and he is picking up psychic energy or
anything. It could also be because Eloisa
really wanted a girl, weather to replace
Alice or just because she feels Alice
should exist. Remember it%u2019s a mental
illness.
3. Toms mum is a devoted OTT catholic
(remember this is in the 1970s London) She
is more religious than her own parents
were so it%u2019s not a nurture/culture
thing. It%u2019s almost paranoia about God
and Heaven.
This could be something that stems from
her childhood or from later life, maybe
brought on by a trauma or it could be
genetic or maybe even just her
personality. Religion is a touchy subject
I know.
4. Four years after Tom is born she has
another son called Edward. She starts to
get really bad here, confusing the boys
up. She will be talking to tom and calling
him Eddy (dementure/outsimers?) and
cradling him like a baby, talking to
people that aren%u2019t there, she will
yell at Edward to stop crying when
he%u2019s not making any noise
(schizophrenia?) She sees dirt and mess
everywhere and is constantly cleaning when
there is no mess (schizophrenia and OCD?)
she has panic attacks and over trivial
things or things that she is imagining.
5. She becomes paranoid that the
neighbours are always watching her and
judging as a wife and mother. Her house
must always be clean and tidy and she
throws big dinner parties to keep up
appearances. If something goes wrong she
will feel like it%u2019s worth dying over
6. She things her sons, who are normal are
the worst children she could have if they
laze in bed or don%u2019t want to go to
church or they listen to punk rock.
7. Also tom acted a little autistic when
he was younger but grew out of it when he
got to about age 5. She was so determined
that he was going to be a perfect child
and when he wasn%u2019t, she concentrated
too much on Edward because he was her last
hope and hates tom for being a failure.
This leaves Edward being over pushed and
tom with no attention other than negative
attention.
8. She goes through episodes. Early on,
she has happy days and sad days but as the
kids grow up she had permanently bad days
and sometimes terrible weeks/months where
she displays the symptoms listed above
strongly.
9. When Tom leaves home and comes out that
he is gay she renounces him as her son.
When Tom tries to reason with her she
slaps him across the face in a busy tea
shop despite everyone watching, this is
unlike her.
Is she having a breakdown over many years?
Is it part schizophrenia and a something
or may other things as well? Is there
just one diagnosis to cover the lot? She
seems to be seriously depressed and the
story is very open about why as it focuses
on Tom, not his mother.
Please suggest anything you think
resembles any of these behaviour patterns.
Thank you.
English Writer.
.
