I dated a Director of Marketing for a large international cosmetics company, where she had worked for 12 years.
We spent weekends together, and from time to time, she experienced what she called a “panic attack.” Whenever this happened, I did my best to calm her down, asking what I could do to help and taking steps to alleviate her condition.
Over the course of eight months, she had six such episodes. Determined to help, I read books and consulted professionals to better understand her condition.
One day, I asked her how often she experienced these attacks at work, hoping to identify possible triggers. She told me, quite directly, that she had never had these episodes at work.
At that moment, I realized these “attacks” were likely contrived and deliberately staged, perhaps as a way to manipulate me for attention.
I saw an opportunity to exit this toxic situation. I told her, “Maybe I’m the trigger that causes these episodes.”
Hearing this, she knew I was about to leave her, and almost immediately, another attack began. Seeing this unfold, I told her, “This confirms I’m no good for you,” and I left her apartment.
When I arrived home, there was a message on my answering machine. Her friend informed me that the police had been called and that she had been admitted to Bellevue Hospital for observation.
The same friend called again, trying to convince me to return and help her. I replied, “What are you doing to help her?”
That was the last time I ever heard from her.