Spiral?

At the same time that I've had a fairly upbeat visit with the boys, I was having a very frustrating exchange with Wife.  It all had to do with her wanting me to order her some medication that's well over $2000 and my not being able to afford it.  I tried reasoning with her in several different ways and all I got back was irrational, self-centered whining.  It was as if she was totally incapable of engaging with the substance of what I was saying, and just believed that everything I said meant I was deliberately causing her pain out of malice.  I was wondering "How did we get here, when only a few days ago she was fairly rational?"

Then in the midst of all this -- as further proof of her helplessness at the hands of an unjust fate -- she happened to mention that she's been unable to get an appointment with her psychiatrist and so is flat out of her psychiatric medications.  I e-mailed back to make sure she was really saying what I thought I heard -- phrasing it as incredulity that the doctor should be so careless (though strictly speaking I don't really know if she ever actually called his office) -- and she confirmed that that was exactly what she meant.

And of course that explains it.  No wonder she is incapable of rationality.  Of course if she's still like this next week, I wonder whether I can in good conscience leave the boys to be cared for by her under our custody calendar.  This could be a problem, especially since I have to go out of town on business.

So I called her doctor's cell phone.  He had given me his number once long ago, just in case.  I told him what she had told me.  He said he would instruct his office to call her up to book an appointment; I gave him her number, and we were done.  I hope he follows through.  And that she does.  I hope this is enough to stave off what could otherwise have been a catastrophe.  When Wife doesn't have access to her psychiatric medicines, it's not a pretty sight.