100% agree with this. With a sister working at an SDS and myself working at an ADE we have these conversations regularly. Closing down/phasing out of both SDS and ADE's is not going to solve the problem but merely put strain on families, the NDIS and Centrelink 

sometimes the picking apart of some things on the internet make me exhausted. This is one of them. 

'overly stoic' 🤣 

I could of written this myself about a family member. Wonderful he’s been found and I hope he receives the help he needs. Disappointed this is listed under true crime though.  Having a psychotic episode is not true crime fan fiction for people to theorise what happened and ‘solve the crime’.  The only crime is the mental health system is broken (both here and the USA) and a family has a long recovery ahead. 

We haven't had contact with my step son for almost 2 years now. He was living on his own (in an apartment his mum paid for) and my husband and his mum and sister would pop in etc and regularly bring him food or give him money as he couldn't hold down a job. He has had a very troubled past and we did everything we could to get him the help he needed but he rejected everything we offered. If we pushed too hard (for him to stick at a job or maintaining contact with us for example) he would often disappear for weeks or even months on end and then just suddenly re-surface like it was no big deal. We involved the police a few times including this last time. They found him in Queensland this time and did a welfare check on him and told him to ring home . We were told by the police 'I don't know what you did but he doesn't want to talk to you' and that was that. My husband was the one at fault apparently. Case closed. We have no idea where he is (he has been hitch hiking and dumpster diving since he was about 13), if he is safe, healthy or even alive. We try to tell ourselves this is his choice and he is hopefully living his best life because the reality of what might be is too painful but we are stuck. He has literally disappeared. And so we wait.  

Arggghhhh I dont normally get riled up by articles about dumb differences bw generations but your comment about volunteering (or your lack of willingness to do so) really pushed a button. School fundraisers pay for so much the school offers and dont run without people baking the cookies, running a stall at the fete, marshalling a fun run etc. If you actually got involved in the committee's or whatever your school/sporting club has you would realise that these things dont run without the tireless work of volunteers. I really hope your observation that all millennials are like this is incorrect. Otherwise that school bake sale that you purchased a cookie from (bc that was your contribution, purchasing the cookie) is doomed and then i wonder what generation will complain that the opportunities/resources for their kids is limitied....

Went shopping to a large shopping centre with my sister who is plus size. We went in to 4 stores (of all the stores in there shopping centre, only 4 marketing 'size inclusivity')   Of the 4, 3 told us that it is only stocked on-line. The only store that had the items in store was Forever new. it was ridiculous. I was outraged for her. Like larger women are supposed to hide away and shop in secret in case others see large women in their store. Its just so wrong

@cat I'm sure their life of privilege and wealth will allow them to cope just fine 

I had a friend from high school reach out saying she would love to catch up for a coffee. We were actually quite close in High school and I was happy she wanted to meet in person instead of just 'liking' each others photos over FB. We had been out of school for 20 years so i welcomed the chance to catch up in person. We had to re-schedule a few times and in that time frame she ramped up her FB feed with whatever it was she was trying to sell. I realized what she was probably doing and I felt quite hurt and used. I messaged her telling her I had seen the new items she was selling and hoped it was going well. I casually pointed out i could never do something like that so that she was clear not to try and recruit me. I then suggested we meet the next week and I'd await a time and place. She never got back to me.

100% this. My anger is gone, I'm tired. I don't care about Novak (hes a complete tool but i dont care if he plays or doesn't, he's not a risk to our national health) or who wears a mask or doesn't or who is vaccinated and isn't. I do slightly care about the lack of RAT test but that's more of a self righteous care bc I've been saying since last year to get RATS to all my family and friends (some listened most didn't)  but mostly I DONT CARE. Because I cant change it or them if I do care. I'm an empathetic person mostly but my empathy has run out. Because there is no right answer to any of this. I read articles and i see both sides. The only thing i see 100% is this is a shit show and I am tired.  I'm literally taking one day at a time and if we don't get Covid each day then that's a win. I'm completely resigned to it happening. so I just get on with it. I don't put too much weight on any event but just try to be Zen like about it all. Thanks Mia for putting my apathy to all this in to words

One thing I learnt about lockdown is no two experiences are the same. I’m in my 5th (melbournite clearly) and even my husband and I who live in the same house had different experiences in the long one. What worked for me didn’t work for him n visa versa. Once you figure out what does n doesn’t work you get in to a groove. And that includes knowing that he needs to get out for a ride each day and I need to walk the dogs each day (and no I don’t want anyone else to come ) Now we just shift in to those gears in lockdown and it’s ok. It’s not great but we make it work. 

My adult step son (we believe) has been part of Qanon for quite some time. (a few years possibly) At the time we had no idea. He would talk about lizard people and the awakening and Pedophile rings  being exposed and we had no idea what to say or do. We tried to get him help (we believed he was having psychotic episodes) It slowly drove a wedge between us because  he refused help and we were seen as toxic and non believers and he has since cut contact with us. Since then qanon has become more in the spotlight we can identify what he was talking about and its shattering. We realize any attempt we were making was being thwated by them telling him we were the problem. We haven't seen or heard from him coming up 2 years. We know he is alive but we have no idea about his mental state. At the protests we look for him in media pictures as we have no doubt he's there, every time. I feel for this writer. And we are all helpless to do anything about it