Dear Gp2b, Please see my lengthy posting above; for over 30yrs, by allowing myself to be blackmailed by my wife, we managed alone. However, when, late in our marriage, I refused to toe her line once again, she sought psychiatric help. I had thought that your throwaway line (above) was merely glib, but then I realised it was true. Psychiatric assistance changed my wife from being a drama queen into someone prepared to die.