on a day-to-day basis?”
“Yes.”
“Does he have a balanced diet?”
“Um, yeah, fairly balanced,” Jayden shrugged. “He’s a bit of a dustbin, actually, he’ll eat anything.”
“What about exercise?”
“I box twice a week. And I’m a crime scene examiner. Not exactly an office job.”
“Any excessive habits? Alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, caffeine, that kind of thing? Any addictions?”
“No drugs,” Jayden said immediately, almost bristling at the question. “Or smoking. And…well, I mean, he’s not tee-total, but he doesn’t drink much.”
“How many units per week, on average?”
“Only one or two,” Jayden said. “You know, like, he sometimes has a couple of lagers on Friday night.” Curry night, when Rachel made one of her insanely good curries. “He drinks a lot of coffee, though. Like, he gets through a big jar in a month, easy. On his own.”
“Two,” Darren corrected. “I have one at work too.”
Jayden rolled his eyes and huffed.
“And not to get too personal, but how is your sex life?”
Jayden blinked; Darren seemed unruffled. “Fine,” he replied. “Couple of times a week, usually. Sometimes more.”
“And you aren’t suffering any sexual dysfunction? Low sex drive, erectile problems, premature ejaculation, any of that?”
“No.”
“Any friction?”
“Sorry?” Jayden blurted out, going pink. He felt hot and uncomfortable, and the doctor’s inscrutable expression wasn’t helping. He could…kind of see why he wanted to know, but…really? Did he have to? That was private!
“Is your sex life causing any problems between you? Differing sex drives or tastes, sexual frustration for either of you?”
“No,” Jayden insisted, blinking. Darren smirked, looking amused.
The doctor hummed. “All right. I’m going to prescribe a diet sheet, and I would recommend increasing your boxing to three times a week if possible. Sex and exercise are both excellent for the production of chemicals in the brain that make us happy, and they also build self-confidence and self-respect that is often lacking in patients with depression. Keep up the exercise, cut down on the caffeine—one cup a day, maximum—and I would strongly advise against drinking alcohol. A lager a week is probably fine, but alcohol is a depressant and won’t be helping your brain chemistry in the slightest.”
Jayden instantly decided to ban alcohol entirely , not just in the house.
“Jayden, I want you in particular to keep a record of Darren’s mood and temperament. I’m uncertain at the moment whether there is an element of bipolar disorder, and the medicinal approach for bipolar disorder can be quite different. I will hold off on antidepressants until we have pinned down the exact nature of the problem more exactly.” The printer ran off a sheet, and it was handed to Jayden.
“What about counselling?” Darren asked.
“For the moment, keep attending,” the doctor said, and Darren frowned. “Even if you don’t feel it’s helping, I get the impression from Dr. Johnson’s notes that you have a tendency to bottle things up, and that won’t help.”
“Oh, just a bit ,” Jayden said tartly; Darren pinched his arm.
“If you can get into the habit of letting your emotions out, which counselling should help with, then you will likely be reducing the stress your mind is under. It won’t stop the moods, but it may lessen their severity or their tendency towards rash action. It may also push you towards actively seeking help and company when you feel low, which of course reduces the risk of suicidal behaviour.”
Jayden squeezed Darren in a light hug, and nodded to the doctor. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll try this new…”
“Regime,” Darren said.
“It’s just coffee.”
“Yeah? You try getting me up for work tomorrow.”
The doctor smiled. “Perhaps ease him into the cutting down,” he suggested. “Lower his intake over a week or two. I imagine that approach will be
“Yes.”
“Does he have a balanced diet?”
“Um, yeah, fairly balanced,” Jayden shrugged. “He’s a bit of a dustbin, actually, he’ll eat anything.”
“What about exercise?”
“I box twice a week. And I’m a crime scene examiner. Not exactly an office job.”
“Any excessive habits? Alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, caffeine, that kind of thing? Any addictions?”
“No drugs,” Jayden said immediately, almost bristling at the question. “Or smoking. And…well, I mean, he’s not tee-total, but he doesn’t drink much.”
“How many units per week, on average?”
“Only one or two,” Jayden said. “You know, like, he sometimes has a couple of lagers on Friday night.” Curry night, when Rachel made one of her insanely good curries. “He drinks a lot of coffee, though. Like, he gets through a big jar in a month, easy. On his own.”
“Two,” Darren corrected. “I have one at work too.”
Jayden rolled his eyes and huffed.
“And not to get too personal, but how is your sex life?”
Jayden blinked; Darren seemed unruffled. “Fine,” he replied. “Couple of times a week, usually. Sometimes more.”
“And you aren’t suffering any sexual dysfunction? Low sex drive, erectile problems, premature ejaculation, any of that?”
“No.”
“Any friction?”
“Sorry?” Jayden blurted out, going pink. He felt hot and uncomfortable, and the doctor’s inscrutable expression wasn’t helping. He could…kind of see why he wanted to know, but…really? Did he have to? That was private!
“Is your sex life causing any problems between you? Differing sex drives or tastes, sexual frustration for either of you?”
“No,” Jayden insisted, blinking. Darren smirked, looking amused.
The doctor hummed. “All right. I’m going to prescribe a diet sheet, and I would recommend increasing your boxing to three times a week if possible. Sex and exercise are both excellent for the production of chemicals in the brain that make us happy, and they also build self-confidence and self-respect that is often lacking in patients with depression. Keep up the exercise, cut down on the caffeine—one cup a day, maximum—and I would strongly advise against drinking alcohol. A lager a week is probably fine, but alcohol is a depressant and won’t be helping your brain chemistry in the slightest.”
Jayden instantly decided to ban alcohol entirely , not just in the house.
“Jayden, I want you in particular to keep a record of Darren’s mood and temperament. I’m uncertain at the moment whether there is an element of bipolar disorder, and the medicinal approach for bipolar disorder can be quite different. I will hold off on antidepressants until we have pinned down the exact nature of the problem more exactly.” The printer ran off a sheet, and it was handed to Jayden.
“What about counselling?” Darren asked.
“For the moment, keep attending,” the doctor said, and Darren frowned. “Even if you don’t feel it’s helping, I get the impression from Dr. Johnson’s notes that you have a tendency to bottle things up, and that won’t help.”
“Oh, just a bit ,” Jayden said tartly; Darren pinched his arm.
“If you can get into the habit of letting your emotions out, which counselling should help with, then you will likely be reducing the stress your mind is under. It won’t stop the moods, but it may lessen their severity or their tendency towards rash action. It may also push you towards actively seeking help and company when you feel low, which of course reduces the risk of suicidal behaviour.”
Jayden squeezed Darren in a light hug, and nodded to the doctor. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll try this new…”
“Regime,” Darren said.
“It’s just coffee.”
“Yeah? You try getting me up for work tomorrow.”
The doctor smiled. “Perhaps ease him into the cutting down,” he suggested. “Lower his intake over a week or two. I imagine that approach will be
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