My sister has decided that folks with mental illnesses are making their own problems and everyone should "choose" to be happy, like her. I told her we needed to agree to disagree and she was Ok with that situation. I wrote her a long, well thought out e-mail, that I thought might demonstrate to her that my condition isn't a "choice". She hasn't responded, though she does acknowledge reading the e-mail. This situation, combined with lingering resentments within my birth family, that no-one seems willing to address, have influenced me to not attend a family get-together at a local resteraunt. My wife has been in and out of the hospital around 10 times in the last 12 months. Our son, an aspergers child, is recovering from an extended meltdown that lasted several months. I have all I can handle with my family at home. I cannot deal with my birth families "issues" right now. I've been polite about not attending, but she can't seem to accept my decision.