The information security industry is notorious for flameouts of brilliant people. In looking back at the circumstances that lead to a dramatic situation, we can usually find early indicators that bad things lie ahead and fail to take timely action to avoid tripping into the abyss. In some instances, we feel that we are trapped in the darkness and we are alone. How do we identify when we or others near us are on a bad path? How do we recover? Once we’re back in a good mental state, what can we do to protect ourselves from the dark places?