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You really can't help some people. It's very sad. Mental illness is rampant.

I have a neighbor right across the hall who goes in and out of deep clinical depression. I was marginally aware of it before today.

She asked to be put on the list for food to be delivered to her from our local food pantry, during the month of November and December. (The Salvation Army delivers food to some of the residents here normally, but NOT during those two months). Some guys from my church and I are delivering to 8 families. That's all we can fit in our cars.

So we delivered food to everyone on Thursday this past week, and I knocked on her door several times, and she didn't answer. I figured she wasn't home. Turns out she was home.

[i]Another neighbor said she SAW this woman coming back in to our building on Friday, the day after we left the food for her.

Now, to get out of her apartment, she had to step over the food. To get back into her apartment she had to step over the food. Apparently she stepped over it twice.[/i] 馃槺馃槺馃槺

I was sick all day yesterday, to the point where I cancelled a cat scan of my brain, (now that's a case of congestion!), but last night I heard someone knock on her door and tell her that the frozen meat was starting to smell bad, and that she had a bag of fruit going rotten, and there were fruit flies flying around in the hall. I guess I am lucky that I am so congested I can't smell anything most of the time.

If I hadn't been physically ill I would have taken care of it yesterday.

This morning another person knocked on her door, to tell her that her meat was rotten and stank, and that there were flies everywhere. I decided to get into the shower to try to clear up my head, get dressed and take care of it. I was waiting for my hair to dry when another one of my neighbors knocked on MY door to tell ME that the meat smelled very bad and that there were fruit flies everywhere.

He very kindly offered to take care of the problem, and throw the meat away, and move her food box. THAT is when she opened her door.

She told me then, that she doesn't want any of the food, and PLEASE don't deliver any more. At no time till then did she tell me that she didn't want the food. When I told her about all the people knocking on her door, she said she had been sleeping. Apparently she was sleepwalking when she stepped over that food box twice. 馃檮馃檮馃檮

She said she had a lot going on lately, and that she was very depressed. I know that the holidays are very hard on people who live alone, and that if someone is depressed, it is even worse. But this particular neighbor seems barely functional.

I was able to see into her apartment and it appeared that her floor was filled with boxes.

My other neighbor then slid the food box down the hallway, and he threw away the rotten meat. It was such a shame, because there are people who live here who probably NEED meat.

I think about notifying management at times like this. I suspect she has been evicted, because about three weeks ago I heard a man in the hallway VERY loudly telling someone on his phone that her place was full of crap, and that she didn't even have anything to move, not even a dishwasher.

And that is why I will not notify management, or complain. There are already too many mentally ill homeless people in this world. And I fear she will soon be one of them.
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Abstraction61-69, M
#1 Are you ok? I'm worried about your health.
#2 You're such an amazing person. Why am I not surprised that you're reaching out to your neighbours to help. Some people fall into learned helplessness and in a situation like this it just continues to compound. It's horrible to watch because we can only do so much.
4meAndyouF
@Abstraction My health is fine, please don't worry about me. I just have asthma and severe allergies and sometimes they get the better of me. That cat scan was not even really necessary. It's way past the time anything could be detected anyway.

Thank you for saying something so kind. But please allow me to say that YOU could teach ALL of us how to reach out...to almost everyone...worldwide. YOU are an example to us all.
Abstraction61-69, M
@4meAndyou I just have a position that helps me do so. You have done it in many ways through your work and your life.
4meAndyouF
@Abstraction That is VERY kind of you to say. Thank you!