How to Deal with Crazy People

The recent activities of my sister's ex-husband got me to thinking about 'crazy,' and how to deal with it. By 'crazy' I mean someone who is unpredictable, unreasonable, illogical, distressed, and potentially dangerous, to themselves or others. So I came up with these ideas, for what they're worth:


1. Protect yourself first - be sure all are out of the way of any physical threat.

2. Avoid contact as much as possible - think of ways to limit or avoid time you may have to see each other in person. Protect the innocent by isolating them from the crazy person as much as legally possible. When being barraged by crazy e-mails: send a final e-mail telling that person any and all further e-mails from them will just go in the garbage and then follow through on this by sending their e-mails directly to the junk mail folder. Screen all phone calls and do not let the innocent talk to the crazy person for longer than is absolutely and really necessary.

3. Set boundaries - this means defining in both time and space what is acceptable from the crazy person. No interactions outside your comfortable boundaries will be tolerated. And mean it.

4. Do not entertain the crazy - when you do have to interact with a crazy person, do not give any credence at all to what they are telling you. Assume every word is a lie. Cut the interaction off as soon as possible. Say with the tone of your voice that you are not going to take crap. And do not internalize what the crazy person says, no matter how close to the bone it cuts. Crazy people need to be neutralized, then pitied. Maintain reality and give yourself occasional reality checks to make sure you're not being colored by the crazy person. Run your thoughts by someone you trust, if needed.

5. Stall - put off the crazy person as much as possible. Some honest false hope (I love oxymorons!) can go a long way in buying yourself time.

6. Minimize casualties and damages - this is the mop up. Tend to the needs of the victims and repair any immediate damages. Then, when you have more time, work on longer term fixes. Make it your mission to eliminate any and all impact the crazy person has on your life. Talk through the issues with those affected, as well as those close to you, and trying to understand why the crazy person is doing what he or she is doing. Explore ideas on how to best neutralize, and then counteract, the crazy. Sometimes, you must be proactive and explore ways to thwart the crazy person in order to prevent future interaction and damage.

7. Pray and reflect - dig deep with God and you will find all of the strength and courage you need to do what you need to do. God is the ultimate resource.


I'm no psychiatrist, but this seems like a good approach in dealing with crazy people. If you have more ideas on dealing with crazy people, please post them here: