Move Over, Springcurl...I think I may have the weirdest neighbor...

Lotsawaves

So Jim and I recently moved into another apartment in the same apartment complex. Imagine a square divided into 4 sections. I use to live in the apartment on the far right (front) and moved to the far left (back). There are apartments above each of the 4 lower apartments. Anyway, the neighbor above my new place stopped Jim outside yesterday to ask if she had ever done anything to make me mad. He said no that I didn't even know her. She went on to tell him that for the last 1 1/2 years (the length she has lived in her apartment) I have been zapping her. She said it's like a taser I'm using on her at a distance. She said I started doing this in my old apartment.

When Jim told me I went upstairs to talk to her. She was almost in tears as she told me that I was driving her crazy with my tasering. She said she has been to the emergency room several times. She also said she has had to sleep on her patio and in her car some nights to get away from me. She said she has hired an attorney and a forensic specialist to find out what I am using on her.

I tried to convince her that I'm not doing anything, but not sure if I convinced her. She told me she had talked to the office a year ago and they said they talked to me about this. They didn't and I went to the office yesterday to talk to them, but they were swamped. I'll go by there again today. I'm a little afraid of this woman. :?

inheritedcurls

Okay..that is just weird and scary. I think I would be looking for another apartment and be trying to get out of my lease.

PerriP

I was just thinking about the Orange Bucket Lady this morning...

but this... this is just really odd.
Let us know what the office says

gagirl09

....The hell???...

Lotsawaves

Inheriditedcurls, There's no way I'm leaving. We just moved! I've lived in the complex for over 5 years. I'm thinking if she was going to do something it would have been before now, since she thought I started tasering her 1 1/2 years ago.

I'll be interested to hear what the office has to say. I did text one of the office employees last night. She does my hair, so we've become pretty good friends. She was in Rocky Point, so she said she would call me today.

spiderlashes5000

I would ignore her (1 in 8 Americans will suffer from a mental health issue in their lifetime ).

scrills

Options
1) Tell her that you stopped. that you got word from your commander that the mission was over

2) Make her a door wreath out of foil and tell her that this will protect her from future zappings

3) tell her that you moved and you are your twin sister (the one without zapping powers)

4) tell her you will arm wrestle her and if she wins you will stop zapping her. Of course, you have to let her win

claudine191

You know, whenever I start feeling like I have a lot of issues, without fail, something comes up on the boards which reminds me I'm not all that complicated after all.

Scrills, you are a delight to me.

Lotsawaves

Scrills, I know you're kidding, but just wanted to say I don't want to play around with crazy and I'm afraid there may be some mental issues here.

I remember back when I was approached by a woman at Walgreens when I was coming out of the store. She accused me of stalking her and that I had been hired by her ex-husband. I wrote about it here. I'm wondering if this is the same woman. They are about the same age. I wish I could remember what car she was driving.

claudine191

I remember the crazy drugstore woman! That was the first thread blow-up I ever read.

Lotsawaves

I don't remember it blowing up, but I wouldn't doubt it.

inheritedcurls

hmm...if this is the same lady...even scarier...maybe she is stalking you?

See what the office says but maybe you can move to a different apartment in the same complex...just not her building? I know you just moved...but that would freak me out.

PerriP

Lotsawaves wrote: »

Scrills, I know you're kidding, but just wanted to say I don't want to play around with crazy and I'm afraid there may be some mental issues here.

.. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm pretty sure there ARE some mental issues here.

claudine191

I think the other lady should move, not lotsa.

Po

She's probably harmless, poor thing. She's obviously paranoid and suffering. The lady is sleeping outside... :-(

She seems to like Jim or at least trust him enough to address the issue with him. I wonder if he can get information from her about any mental health providers she might have or family or friends. Without increasing her paranoia.

Also, stop trying to convince you're not doing anything. It's not going to work. I think Jim would have a better chance of maybe safety planning with her on if it happened again (similar to what scrills said) what she might do. Maybe talk to her about how well she's coping with it and ask her what she's done in the past to lessen the zaps or to avoid them.

Of course, it's not your job or Jim's job to do this and if it goes wrong, it might escalate.

Eta: I wouldn't bring it up to her again. I would only address it if she confronts Jim.

Lotsawaves

I just got off the phone with my friend in the office. She said this woman use to live in another apartment in another building and had the same problem. She was transferred to the apartment she is in now and is still having the same problem. She went to the office 2 weeks ago and complained about me. She was told that they had been in my apartment many times and there was nothing there that would be causing this. The office thinks since both places she has lived are on the 2nd floor that it may be the air conditioning and she may be very sensitive. I think they are grasping at straws. My friend said that they are talking about suggesting she transfer to another apartment that is a 1st story. They will not charge her a transfer fee. I hope she will take them up on this .And it be far away from me. I am not moving again. I love my new apartment. I also mentioned the woman at Walgreens. My friend remembers me telling her about this. She told me not to worry and that she is going to talk to the manager and get this taken care of.

Lotsawaves

Po wrote: »

She's probably harmless, poor thing. She's obviously paranoid and suffering. The lady is sleeping outside... :-(

She seems to like Jim or at least trust him enough to address the issue with him. I wonder if he can get information from her about any mental health providers she might have or family or friends. Without increasing her paranoia.

Also, stop trying to convince you're not doing anything. It's not going to work. I think Jim would have a better chance of telling her that he told you to stop and maybe safety planning with her on if it happened again (similar to what scrills said) what she might do. Maybe talk to her about how well she's coping with it and ask her what she's done in the past to lessen the zaps or to avoid them.

Of course, it's not your job or Jim's job to do this and if it goes wrong, it might escalate.

No way either of us would say I'm actually doing this to her.

spiderlashes5000

I wouldn't entertain any of this. And if she keeps trying to talk to you, I would call the nonemergency police. And I hope you will document these activities in your Outlook "Notes" feature or somewhere you can get a time and date stamp, if they continue.

Po

I edited my response. Definitely do not encourage her paranoia, but telling her you're not doing it isn't going to convince her. She's mentally ill. And it just increases her paranoia. The apartment complex should really be handling this a lot better. I'm sure she has an emergency contact on file. It's not your obligation to work this out with her.

Lotsawaves

I don't think my telling her I'm not doing it will increase her paranoia. I'm not doing it, so of course I'm going to tell her I'm not. What else was I suppose to say when she accused me of it? She was the one to approach Jim. If I had of heard about it from the office and they said they would take care of it, I never would have talked to her.

My friend at the office suggested I let her look around my apartment so she can see I don't have anything there that would zap her. I told her I wasn't comfortable with that and that I don't feel I need to prove anything to her. If this is a mental illness I don't think even that would satisfy her. It is the office responsibility to take care of this, not mine.

ETA: I do feel sorry for her. I hate that she felt she had to sleep on her balcony and in her car. BUT I'm also a little fearful of you. I don't know how unstable she is.

inheritedcurls

I agree with everyone. It's not your place to work it out with her...it's the apartment complex. I would not approach her nor let her approach you if possible.

I didn't want you to have to move. It was just a thought for your safety. Don't want anything to happen to Lotsa!

Lotsawaves

Thanks, inheritedcurls.

spiderlashes5000

Lotsawaves wrote: »

I don't think my telling her I'm not doing it will increase her paranoia. I'm not doing it, so of course I'm going to tell her I'm not. What else was I suppose to say when she accused me of it? She was the one to approach Jim. If I had of heard about it from the office and they said they would take care of it, I never would have talked to her.

My friend at the office suggested I let her look around my apartment so she can see I don't have anything there that would zap her. I told her I wasn't comfortable with that and that I don't feel I need to prove anything to her. If this is a mental illness I don't think even that would satisfy her. It is the office responsibility to take care of this, not mine.

Don't let her into your apt, don't engage her further and don't try to prove your innocence to her.

(She's not rational so rational explantions won't work.)

claudine191

She's nuts and that's sad, but her paranoia is not your problem.

I agree completely with Spider's post above mine. Stay away. If you have a decent police department, they should handle it by referring her to a local mental health center.

Lotsawaves

I've decided that if the apartment complex doesn't do something or if she approaches me again with this nonsense then I will call the non emergency number for the police and at least find out what I can do. I do like the idea of having the complex call one of her relatives to find out if there is a mental condition. The tenants here shouldn't feel unsafe. Jim is out of town a lot. He's leaving next Tuesday and won't be home until late Friday night. It's going to be a long week.

Spider

Yea, I'd try to discretely find out if she has family that might get her to doctor.

celticscryer

spiderlashes5000 wrote: »

Don't let her into your apt, don't engage her further and don't try to prove your innocence to her.

(She's not rational so rational explantions won't work.)

This. The poor woman clearly has some mental issue. Don't talk to her. If she approaches you and you feel threatened, call the police.

It's unlikely that the apartment management has a family contact number on file, but it's worth a try to ask. Whatever is wrong with this woman, it sounds like she went off her medication or needs it adjusted.

Lotsawaves

I know at my complex they require an emergency contact, so there is probably someone on file. If she is off her medication, then it's been a long time, because she has been thinking I'm the caus for over a year and was going thru the tasering feeling even before then in another apt here. So I don't know for how long exactly.

I just can't believe this is happening. I don't get involved with my neighbors and keep a low profile. I've never been one to be home much on the weekends and I'm at work all week. I didn't even know this woman lived here. The 1st time I saw her was a week ago when she was walking up her stairs.

anonymous_133347

Geez. This makes my neighbor who created his own religion (involving beautiful "boy angels") look quite sane in comparison.

Starmie

I think you're taking the right approach - just don't engage with her. Paranoia that is that long-standing is obviously deep-seated and nothing you, or the management , do or say will make any difference. Sadly, medication is the only thing that's likely to help her.

Po

Don't take it personally, lotsa. This has nothing to do with you. She's probably had this problem for many years and will have it long after she leaves the apartment. Hopefully, she'll leave you alone and she'll get some help.

Another thought is that the complex, or you if your present for some weird episode, can call mobile crisis. Even if they don't come out, they give advice for these sort of things and they might have a history with her.