The first time my mother-in-law came to stay with us was about a year after we were married. I'd always heard that she was odd, she'd hoard wetnaps and had closets full of Bounty and coffee, but no food in the refrigerator, but I found that to be more eccentric than crazy. Her family warned me that she had some issues, she warned me, my wife warned me, but I got along with her. I found her to be nice and genuine. We never had a problem with her until the third or fourth time she visited. She'd sit up talking all night while I drifted in and out of sleep, that much was true. You'd pass out watching television, eight hours later you'd wake up and there she'd be chattering away. I found out later that this was simply nerves, she had mild anxiety mental health problems. Her anxiety mental health issues usually resulted in panic attacks. It would cause her to hyperventilate or pass out. She chattered, ate chocolate, and smoked incessantly because of her anxiety mental health issues. The side effects of anxiety disorders can be severe. I noticed it first hand when she stayed with us for a few months one year.

"You don't understand me, my problems, it's why I act the way I do." My wife would say. Boy was she right. Still is. I always thought it was a cop out. I always thought she blamed her selfish odd behavior on the panic thing so she could get her way. I'm still not convinced that this is not the case. The anxiety mental health disorder that plagued her mother was an entirely different creature. One day we took her downtown for a nice day out. We went and got her a pound of hand made fudge because she loved chocolate, and that was fine, though she didn't like crowds, then we went to the aquarium to see a dolphin show because she'd always wanted to see one. That was where the problems began. We were okay wandering slowly through the aquarium looking through the glass at the sharks and the fish, but when we got to the big open auditorium I could tell she was having some issue with her surroundings. The auditorium was vast and open with a couple thousand bench seats surrounding a giant pool big enough, literally, to hold three whales and a score of dolphins. It was grand and beautiful with crystal clear water, and the show was sold out so it was packed. We made our way to our seats and I noted that my mother-in-law's eyes were glassy. She was holding her hand over her nose and taking small, shallow breaths, like she was hyperventilating, using her hand as a paper bag to regulate her breathing. I asked her if she wanted to leave but she wanted to see the show, she said she'd be fine. She was turning red though and I was worried. We got through the show okay, but then as people gathered together in a mass and started to exit, she passed out cold. I later found out that open rooms and large numbers of people caused her to have panic attacks which caused her to have trouble breathing. In her case she generally stayed in like a hermit. This was why. She was okay minus a few bruises. Later, when we took her to the train station she couldn't find a seat as I helped her on with her bags. She started to pass out again. I helped her, she found a seat, and the conductor helped us out, but I got trapped on the train as it pulled away and had to go thirty miles and catch a train back. As I said, sometimes these things have dir repercussions.