By practitioner, Strongwind, do you mean you are a doctor? If so, please do not beat yourself up. There are others here who are doctors, nurses and therapist. Sadly one was capable of helping/preventing their spouse from going into Replay.
Mermaid is married to a doctor, who is aware of his depression. Her husband seeked no help, and still had his crisis.
The doctor from the company Mr J worked for until he quit, a little over one year since BD, tried to help Mr J. Like Mermaid's husband (and other MLCers), Mr J knew he was depressed. He himself told me he was depressed, both before and after he left. He also told the doctor. Mr J did not allow the doctor to help him.
Nor did Mr J listened to SIL who wanted him to take blood tests to see if he suffered from hypertheroidism. SIL and MIL suffered from it and both have had surgery. SIL also offered to book and appointment with her psychiatrist as well as with their years long family doctor. Mr J said no.
The problem really seems to be how to get the MLCer to the doctor, or, for those who have a doctor around, to allow the doctor to see them. Also, how to make the MLCer to remain in the medication (some MLCer started it but dropped it), treatment, or how to make they make lifestyle changes that could help.
What is the secret of those doctors in the clinic? How do they manage to do what no else seems to be capable of doing?
If it cannot be dinied that our moder, western, or western-like lifestyle seems to contribute to MLC, MLC was round in past centuries and millenia. Maybe it was less spread, maybe it wasn't. People lived shorter lives, many spend years on end in the army/at war and away from home, MLC, of course, was not an existent term, etc.
Hawk, I suspect that, sadly, even if you would have dropped everything to look after your wife it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
But you will be able to be there for your wife when she comes out of her tunnel.
MLC is most more stressing than what previsiously existed. Both for MLCer and LBS. MLCer claim they want a new life, that they are tired, this than and those, then go and lead a totally crazy, super stress filled life.
It does need to be researched. Or maybe it is, but not under MLC. Maybe under hormonal imbalance. Or brain inbalance. We know hormones change many things, we know lack of sleep and depression alter lots of functions.
Your ideas for a doctorate are very interesting.
Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. (Marilyn Monroe)