# Woman forgets the "...get off the pot" part **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154 "2008-03-12T20:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/41 "2008-03-13T17:08:40Z")
[QUOTE=Brynda] It sounds like severe agoraphobia to me. Most agoraphobics won’t leave the house; for her, her safety zone was even smaller. Poor woman. [/QUOTE] Yes and poor man. It’s tough to know what to do when someone you love is crazy. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/42 "2008-03-13T17:14:10Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] The second article lists the boyfriend at age 36 and says he’d been taking care of her for 16 years, meaning that there must’ve been some serious issues already (obviously). [/QUOTE] I don’t think it’s that clear, actually. The paragraph reads: > [@](#): > > McFarren, who works at an antique store, said he has been taking care of Babcock for the 16 years they have lived together. He insisted that he tried to coax her out of the bathroom every day. If the two statements are contiguous, then they sound to me like his response to accusations of neglect. “Hey, man, I didn’t neglect her! I love her, I took care of her - I been taking care of her for 16 years! Every \*day \*I tried to get her out of there!” Or you could be right and “taking care of her” was meant literally, as in, she was incapable of taking care of herself for 16 years and he knew that and accepted responsibility for taking care of her more than a decade ago. In which case, then yes, he should be charged with neglect or something similar. I just can’t decide from these articles yet. I’m sure the investigators are asking more to try to sort it all out. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/43 "2008-03-13T17:30:39Z")
The compassionate side of me wants to say Aw, those poor people. How awful. The less reverent side wants to say My God! What was he feeding her?!? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/44 "2008-03-13T17:46:45Z")
tdn: > [@](#): > > The less reverent side wants to say My God! What was he feeding her?!? Prunes, bran muffins, castor oil to wash it down… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/45 "2008-03-13T18:01:02Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Hey, my toilets have gone for longer without being clogged. And no, I don’t scrub them weekly or anything, just “colored water” and the occasional dash of “WC Duck” (or whatever it’s called in English, I’ve only used the Spanish and French versions). At the bottom of the first article it indicates she sort of grew up imprisoned in her own house. That doesn’t make the even less bizarre, but it’s an indication of someone who can feel safer not moving at all than doing anything. [/QUOTE] We call it Toilet Duck. It never occurred to me that it might be an international product. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/46 "2008-03-13T18:02:56Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Prunes, bran muffins, castor oil to wash it down… [/QUOTE] Either that or potato chips made with Olestra. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/47 "2008-03-13T18:09:01Z")
I find it dubious- living in the bathroom is one thing, physically not removing your ass from a seat for two years is downright impossible, epescially during sleep. And how did they get the two year figure anyway- did someone note the date she started? Did they celebrate the anniversary? How long would it take to fuse with a toilet anyway? Is there any data? I’m guessing the same effect could be achieved in a month. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/48 "2008-03-13T18:39:39Z")
I’m getting a bit dubious too. Some reports say she merely lived in the bathroom: she walked around, bathed, etc. Others say she was fused to the seat, which doesn’t happen in a few hours. I still don’t understand how nobody noticed this woman had disappeared from the face of the earth. And no matter how she was living–not moving from the toilet or just living in the bathroom–they’re both mentally ill. They have to be. Unbalanced, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/49 "2008-03-13T18:42:55Z")
He gave her a copy of _War and Peace_, she’s a slow reader. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/50 "2008-03-13T18:54:49Z")
Yall are missing the most important detail in this sordid tale: The lady has a boyfriend. How is _he_ not the mentally disabled one? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/51 "2008-03-13T19:18:37Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] Yall are missing the most important detail in this sordid tale: The lady has a boyfriend. How is _he_ not the mentally disabled one? [/QUOTE] Yes, of course. That makes perfect sense. We’ve all missed the fact she has a boyfriend and he’s the mentally ill one and she’s perfectly healthy. I know if I were living with a mentally ill guy I’d voluntarily choose to sit on a toilet until my ass fused to it. Just hook me up with a PS3 and keep bringing me food. I’ll play along. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/52 "2008-03-13T19:38:13Z")
The second article makes it sound like she’s spent 16 years in the bathroom: 14 moving around and 2 parked on the seat. I just have to wonder: 1. Obviously, she had to have been flushing. But still, that toilet hasn’t been cleaned in two years. It’s gotta be stinking and grotesque. 2. Boyfriend has been taking her every single meal and every single drink for somewhere between 2 and 16 years? He’s never had a break? He’s never been seriously ill? Never had a vacation? Holy cow! 3. What the heck did she _do_ for two years? ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/53 "2008-03-13T20:42:33Z")
I fell asleep on the toilet once. Well, OK, passed out, but about the same thing. Woke up, probably half-hour later. When I stood up it felt like athletic tape being pulled off of my butt. And one of my legs was asleep. That was just after a half-hour! No, wait, that was my \*friend \* that passed out on the toi … oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/54 "2008-03-13T20:48:38Z")
This was an ingenious plot to save on toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/55 "2008-03-13T20:54:48Z")
[QUOTE=Pithy Moniker] This was an ingenious plot to save on toilet paper. [/QUOTE] And maxi-pads. Ew. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/56 "2008-03-13T22:05:55Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] And maxi-pads. [/QUOTE] Oh, that’s just… …I hadn’t even thought about… …let’s not even… YUCK! How did she not have even _more_ serious medical problems? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/57 "2008-03-13T22:41:31Z")
Atrophied legs and skin grown around a toilet seat aren’t serious enough? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/58 "2008-03-14T16:50:45Z")
[The sheriff wants to charge the boyfriend.](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337664,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/59 "2008-03-14T18:03:13Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Atrophied legs and skin grown around a toilet seat aren’t serious enough? [/QUOTE] Of course they are. That’s why I used the word “more” and put asterisks on both sides of it to highlight it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154/60 "2008-03-14T18:17:49Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] [The sheriff wants to charge the boyfriend.](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337664,00.html) [/QUOTE] With “mistreatment of a dependent adult”… > [@](#): > > 21-3437. Mistreatment of a dependent adult. > > (a) Mistreatment of a dependent adult is knowingly and intentionally committing one or more of the following acts: > (1) Infliction of physical injury, upon a dependent adult; > (2) Unreasonable confinement of a dependent adult by physical or chemical means; or > (3) Cruel punishment upon a dependent adult, including through use of medication or isolation; > (4) Assault as defined in K.S.A. 21-3408 upon a dependent adult; > (5) omitting or depriving treatment, goods or services by a caretaker or another person which are necessary to maintain physical or mental health of a dependent adult; or > (6) taking unfair advantage of a dependent adult’s physical or financial resources for another individual’s personal or financial advantage by the use of undue influence, coercion, harassment, duress, deception, false representation or false pretense by a caretaker or another person; or > > (b) No dependent adult is considered to be mistreated for the sole reason that such dependent adult relies upon or is being > > (c) For purposes of this section: ‘Dependent adult’ means an individual 18 years of age or older who is unable to protect such individual’s own interest, including: > (1) Any resident of an adult care home including but not limited to those facilities defined by K.S.A. 39-923(a) and amendments thereto; > **(2) any adult cared for in a private residence;** > (3) any individual kept, cared for, treated, boarded or otherwise accommodated in a medical care facility; > (4) any individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability receiving services through a community mental retardation facility or residential facility licensed under K.S.A. 75-3307b and amendments thereto; > (5) any individual with a developmental disability receiving services provided by a community service provider as provided in the developmental disability reform act; or > (6) any individual kept, cared for, treated, boarded or otherwise accommodated in a state psychiatric hospital or state institution for the mentally retarded. > > (d)(1) Mistreatment of a dependent adult as defined in subsection (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) is a severity level 6, person felony. The bolded part (mine) would appear to be the part he’d be charged under. He was her caretaker, though, and he was taking care of her. I don’t see anything in that law obligating him to seek mental health treatment on her behalf. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-forgets-the-get-off-the-pot-part/441154.md?page=4)