Does Colonel White suffer from mood swings?

[Intensity Angel]

Me neither, could you imagine the taunts Captain Ochre would give? And then there would be the concequences if there were any.

[Marion]

Me neither, could you imagine the taunts Captain Ochre would give? And then there would be the concequences if there were any.

I'm sorry, Intensity, but I don't understand the point you're making here. Could you please elaborate? Thanks

[Intensity Angel]

Well if you got in trouble with Colonel White, and he gave you a balling out, and then Captain Ochre found out and decided to taunt you over it, you wouldn't like it would you, and if what you did was bad enough to deserve punishment, lack a take away of previlages or something, then you wouldn't be a happy bunny. And you'd want to punch Captain Ochre too.

But anyway,

Colonel White is a human commander and a human commander does what he thinks is best.

[Marion]

I don't think Captain Ochre would be so petty-minded as to 'taunt' anyone who had been punished by the colonel. After all, if you had transgressed enough to deserve punishment it would hardly be a laughing matter.
Nor do I think any of the captains would be so immature as to 'punch' Captain Ochre, thereby compounding their transgression and laying themselves open to a disciplinary hearing.
Someone getting an earful from the colonel would most certainly not be a 'happy bunny' though.

All of the officers were selected for Spectrum because they were the best at they did for a living. Even those without military training are unlikely to be ungovernable, and having accepted the Spectrum jobs, they must have known it wasn't going to be some sort of jolly. Ochre came close to being the senior officer in command of World Police Force - he wouldn't have risen that high in the police force if he was a troublemaker.

[Sage]

True, I guess.

Taunt doesn't seem the right word; that seems vindictive. Which I don't think is Ochre's style. His pranks and jokes are generally innocent enough, a way to ease some of the stress they're under, though maybe sometimes he's unwittingly a bit tactless. I can imagine after the dust had settled post-Manhunt he might have made a quip about 'women drivers'; but would know better than to ruin the working relationship with Symphony or Colonel over it.

It has been mentioned in fics that the captains are good friends, almost like siblings sometimes, so I think in off duty moments they probably do tease each other a bit. It wouldn't human [or a very interesting read] for them to only ever be staid and on the job. And it's possible to be a professional and still have a sense of humour. Just takes some balance.

[The Beta Queen]

Sage, you have a point, of course. However, as you say, "it takes some balance". There's the world of difference between the childishness implied by Intensity's post, and the behaviour of mature, responsible men and women letting off a little steam.

I have no doubt that there would be banter, horseplay and even occasional arguments between the senior staff, but taunting a colleague who has been disciplined grossly exceeds the boundaries of decent behaviour, let alone the conduct expected of members of a quasi-military oranisation like Spectrum.

[Marion]

I quite agree - they would use humour to lessen the stress, but not everyone has the same sense of humour, so some people won't find practical jokes amusing. Yet what we see of Ochre in the TV episodes doesn't suggest he is an out-and-out prankster - or so completely tactless that he would alienate his colleagues by taunting them.
They have to live together in a confined and disciplined environment - and there are going to be disagreements, clashes and jokes, as there would be anywhere; I doubt they all see eye-to-eye about everything, for a start, and, if it was all sweetness and light, it would make damn boring fiction. A decent story thrives on conflict, it seems to me, whether between the Spectrum personnel or the humans and the aliens.
However, I'm sure the colonel would make it quite clear what sort of behaviour was beyond the pale, and that everyone would abide by those guidelines.
Maybe it all boils down to the differing perceptions of a twenty-something and a fifty-something about how mature thirty-somethings would behave ?

[Intensity Angel]

One of my cousins is in their late twenties and behaves much worse than me, so if you've ever had a situation where childish pranks are just not want you want, then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

Other than that, I really dropped myself in the gutter that, I confess hands up! lol.

I suppose Ochre isn't that bad, but he's not my favorite character.

Besides, this thread is about Colonel White having mood swings ain't it?

Well everyone suffers with a mood swing sometime during their lives, teenagers like myself are infamous for them. End of the day, Colonel White is a man on a high pedestal, other forces might be waiting for Spectrum to make a mistake, if that's not enough to cause a mood swing, then what is? Other than hearing some silly cadets have decided to muck around and wreck havoc of course.

[hazel]

Before writing this post, I put "mood swings" into a Google search. Discounting teenage hormonal adjustments, which I don't think would trouble Colonel White, pretty well all the results were to do with bipolar disorder, depression, psychiatry and similar topics. Persistent mood swings are not a simple attack of grumpiness, or losing one's temper, or any other change of mood that we do indeed all have: they're a sign that there may well be an underlying disorder.

If Colonel White had mood swings, would he really have been appointed to one of the most senior jobs in World Security? I don't honestly think he would.

[Sage]

That's a good point. I did always think mood swings as a term didn't really apply. There's a world of diffrence between fluctuations in mood as a human reaction to circumstances, and genuine mental instability.

I suppose it has been a reoccuring theme that candidates of questionable suitability will rise to the top [no comment on current figures]. But ultimatly I think Hazel is right. You'd have to be in good mental health to be able to succeed in such a demanding responsible job.

I think we can be pretty sure White isn't a teenager, or PSMing.

[Sasha Metcalfe]

I quite agree - they would use humour to lessen the stress, but not everyone has the same sense of humour, so some people won't find practical jokes amusing. Yet what we see of Ochre in the TV episodes doesn't suggest he is an out-and-out prankster - or so completely tactless that he would alienate his colleagues by taunting them.
They have to live together in a confined and disciplined environment - and there are going to be disagreements, clashes and jokes, as there would be anywhere; I doubt they all see eye-to-eye about everything, for a start, and, if it was all sweetness and light, it would make damn boring fiction. A decent story thrives on conflict, it seems to me, whether between the Spectrum personnel or the humans and the aliens.

Excuse my being terribly dense but where do we see Ochre play practical jokes?
is it in the comics (which i don't have) because I don't see anything in the tv episodes that fleshes him out at all.

as for pranks & slap-happy humor. I used to date a Amry soldier, and had a brother in the Air Force and those boys had a very rough and very slap-happy sense of humor.
on brother's last day as a 'goodbye' he ended up being handcuffed & hosed down because he was always such a hard*ss on everyone they wanted to 'pay him back' before he left. it was all in good fun, no one got in trouble for it and yes the higher ups did know.
the army guys were always doing seemingly evil/mean things to each other but funny in their own way.
I suppose you could argue that the enlisted ranks of USA armed forces are less disciplind than Spectrum officers, but I ain't entirely buying it. I think on duty they all perform as trained, as expected (except when certain Captains decide to throw parties or balk at orders) but off duty the same standards don't necessarily apply.

Sasha

[Marion]

We never do see Ochre playing any practical jokes. His entire reputation as a practical joker comes from his 'biography' as supplied by the 1967 'Captain Scarlet' annual.
It says:

off-duty he is quick-witted, a brilliant conversationalist, and strongly prone to practical jokes. Very popular with the Angels as he's always teasing and joking with them.

I imagine that there are instances of horseplay amongst the officers - although not all of them are military men - but remember that they're on Cloudbase, so the opportunities to play such physical practical jokes may be limited.
No one denies that they'd all act the goat at times, but only that they would always act the goat and risk losing the respect of their colleagues and the trust of the colonel.
At least, that's how I see it. Other fans differ and tend to see Ochre and Magenta as a kind of anti-dote to the more serious-minded partnership of Scarlet and Blue. (And Scarlet - on TV - shows nothing of the 'full of fun, carefree and bursting with energy' characteristics the annual credits him with. Blue - it says - has a 'forceful personality and endless patience'...)
Everybody's ideas and imaginings are as valid as everyone else's - provided there is some (however scant or vague) evidence to support it in the CS 'canon'.

[Sasha Metcalfe]

I thought Scarlet organizing a party and keeping it a secret from the Colonel was a glimpse of "full of fun". and that great joke he plays on Orson when Scarlet finds the bug in their room.

but, that isn't the point of this thread so i'll be quiet now.

[Intensity Angel]

I was thinking, if Colonel White did suffer with mood swings, could it be a tragic event that caused them? Could something, like losing someone on a mission, be enough? In a couple of episodes we see him flip. In White As Snow, White goes furious at Scarlet, but could underneath that anger, be concern?

In fan fiction, some people write about White losing his wife, would that be enough to cause him to have mood swings?

Has anyone written a fan fiction about Colonel White suffering mood swings before? And what could Colonel White do about them, other than yes, see Dr Fawn?

[Sage]

OK, if this sounds harsh it's unintended. You're a friend, friends don't let friends write bad fic ...

Just so we're clear ...
"A mood swing is an extreme or rapid change in mood. They are commonly associated with mood disorders ... A mood disorder is a condition whereby the prevailing emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances.
The two major types of mood disorders are depression (or unipolar depression) and bipolar disorder."
Ref; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_disorder

You are going to need to do some serious research on mental illness before commiting to writing a fic. Actually clarifying what you mean by 'mood swings' would be a good start; because I'm not entirely sure we're working from the same start point.
Now maybe you have; but it took me three webpages and basic reading comprehension of this thread to find the answers you wanted, so it made me wonder.
I mean yes I am a huge advocate of research, even enjoy dabbling to help others out. But I have the sense you're a reasonably intelligent educated person; you don't need to be spoon fed or us have to repeat the same points over and over. And it's unfair to expect that of people here.

Colonel White did suffer with mood swings, could it be a tragic event that caused them? Could something, like losing someone on a mission, be enough?

No ... tragic event would cause Post traumatic stress [PST], of which mood swings are not a symptom. It wouldn't cause it, because there's no direct link.
ref; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_traumatic_stress
rc psych
I'll explain more later ...

In a couple of episodes we see him flip. In White As Snow, White goes furious at Scarlet, but could underneath that anger, be concern?

Those are perfectly natural healthy human emotions, and normal heathy reaction to them. I really don't see how that could be cited as manifest of mental imbalance.

has anyone written a fan fiction about Colonel White suffering mood swings before?

Far as I know nobody has written anything on this specific theme. As has already been said in this very thread it sounds implausable, in light of his profession and what we know of his character, for him to have a mood disorder

Which is not a blanket dictat that mental illness should never be written because it's automatically OOC. I've done by share of stepping outside the fandom comfort zone. We will never get a full picture of the characters; and I think issues like mental health, sexuality, etc are important and interesting to explore. But it needs to be well researched; then handled with a lot of sensitivity, integrity, and awareness of their limitations on the part of the writer.

some people write about White losing his wife, would that be enough to cause him to have mood swings?

In short ... no, bereavment doesn't cause a mood disorder.
The only way it could work is if he already had a mood disorder, and the grief made that worse. With the obvious exceptions of post traumatic stress, tragic/traumatic events don't give people mental illnesses the way running in the rain may give you a cold.
(mood swings aren't a symptom of PTS anyway).

what could Colonel White do about them, other than yes, see Dr Fawn?

As for what he would do ... Well as I say it would be unlikely that it wasn't an existing condition, so he'd already have experience and suppourt network ready to assist him. I don't know the details; having no experience or research, but then it's not my fic.

In conclusion; do research.
Did I mention that enough?