Brooke's Breakdown
It's no wonder that Brooke Logan once had a temporary breakdown. She was on the brink of becoming Mrs. Ridge Forrester. Alas, the wedding was called off after a mysterious letter surfaced (allegedly penned by Brooke), indicating that Brooke had paid Dr. Peters to falsely state that Ridge -- not Eric -- was the father of Brooke's daughter, Bridget. With Ridge questioning his future bride, Brooke agreed to a second paternity test that shockingly revealed Eric as Bridget's pop. This stressful revelation resulted in Brooke having a breakdown and fleeing Los Angeles. Psychiatrists Taylor Hayes and James Warwick deduced that Brooke was suffering from ``brief reactive psychosis," a mental condition related to trauma.

Ridge, along with Lauren's help, searched for a missing Brooke in Paris, Florida, and finally, the island of Barbados. Brooke bolted through sugar cane fields to avoid Ridge. Eventually, Ridge located Brooke who was clinging to two dolls, believing they were her children, Rick and Bridget. Ridge's emotional plea to Brooke helped bring her back from the brink of a complete breakdown. Following a romantic reunion, the couple returned to the States and renewed their relationship, which was soon thwarted by suave designer Grant Chambers.

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Taylor's Tuberculosis
Kindness has always been a part of Taylor's genetic structure. After lending support to a sickly homeless man named George, a pregnant Taylor was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Taylor was stunned to learn that George later died of tuberculosis. While treatment could have solved Taylor's condition, the good doctor rejected the medicine since it could have harmed her unborn children. Taylor felt that her daughters, whose lungs had yet to fully develop, came first. Taylor's fight became a race against the clock. She eventually went into labor and delivered two healthy girls, Stephanie and Phoebe. Alas, it seemed as if Taylor had waited too long. She briefly departed the earthly world and was reunited with the George on an astral plane.

Miraculously, Taylor returned to her body and the loving embrace of her husband and children, content in the knowledge that she had made the right decision to withhold treatment. Once among the living, Taylor was given medication that properly dealt with the tuberculosis.

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Amber's Pill Addiction

When Amber Forrester lost her first child, she was too busy covering it up to worry about herself. However, after losing her second baby, Amber hid not behind secrets, but a pill addiction. Amber developed a dependency on painkillers to not only numb her physical pain, but also the mental torture of losing her baby. In time, Amber mixed the pills with alcohol, endangering her life. Amber's descent into drug dependency resulted in getting mixed up with Ziggy Deadmarsh, who supplied her with the pills she so desperately craved. As Amber grew more addicted, she began neglecting her motherly duties, blaming others for her own irresponsibility.

Later, Amber confided in her sister-in-law Taylor that she felt as if she'd failed Rick, little Eric and the child that she lost. With Taylor's help, Amber was able to confess to Rick that she was addicted to pills. After completing rehabilitation, Amber returned to her family and friends, only to be drugged by Lance, who was working for Sheila. Stronger than the desire to be hooked on drugs is Amber's resilience and inner strength.

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Macy's Alcoholism
A ``Sly" move caused Macy to go down a road that ultimately cost her her life. When Macy was experiencing a difficult period in her marriage to Thorne, potential suitor Sly Donovan encouraged Macy's growing dependency on alcoholism. Given that Sly ran the Bikini Bar, it was a deadly combination. Macy missed a romantic reunion that Thorne hoped would take place after Sly got Macy so inebriated she passed out.

Macy's drinking had terrible consequences for Keith, a mentally challenged youth, who worked at the Bikini Bar and witnessed Macy's fall off the wagon. An intoxicated Macy crashed her car with Keith as a passenger. Keith survived, but Macy almost didn't after Thorne blasted her for drinking and driving. Knowing that she caused Keith to almost lose his life forced Macy to acknowledge that she had a problem. Macy attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, hoping to regain her sobriety. Alas, Macy would fall into the bottle many more times (once when Sheila spiked her juice) as the going got tough in her on-again/off-again romance with Thorne. After Grant's death, Macy and Thorne attempted to reconcile. Their future -- and Macy's sobriety -- was threatened by Thorne's passion for Brooke.

Sadly, Macy falling into the bottle only pushed Thorne more into Brooke's arms. Macy was fighting to maintain her sobriety and her marriage when she was in a deadly car accident that presumably took her life when her auto crashed into a fuel truck.

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Jake's Sexual Abuse
Margo Spencer accused her kid brother, Jake Maclaine, of walking out on their parents, causing them immense heartache. Jake eventually revealed to Margo that he ran away from their home in Madison, Wisconsin, because their father, Ben, had repeatedly sexually molested Jake as a youth. A stunned Margo couldn't believe that her father would do such a thing or that her mother, Helen, would remain with him if she knew the truth. Ben steadfastly denied the allegations of committing sexual abuse. Jake sought psychiatric therapy from Dr. Taylor Hayes. Taylor gave Jake the arguably questionable advice that he should go home and confront his molester. Jake was frustrated by his father's vehement stance that he was innocent. Curiously, Jake distinctively recalled a tingling sound just before the abuse would take place.

While Jake was home, Charlie, Ben's brother, also came by for a visit. Jake recalled that Charlie was living with the family during the time of his abuse. It turned out that the tingling noise that Jake heard was his Uncle Charlie's military dog tags clinking together. A horrified Jake realized that it was his uncle -- not his father -- who had sexually abused him. A desperate Charlie caught on to Jake's realization and tried to stage Jake's fake suicide by running a car exhaust pipe in Jake's face. Margo arrived in time to rescue her brother. In a tragic twist, Charlie killed himself, unable to face what he had done. Jake returned to Los Angeles for a brief time and attempted to resume his romance with Felicia Forrester before returning home to his parents.

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Antonio's HIV
It was love at first sight for designers Kristen Forrester and Antonio Dominguez. Kristen had attempted to hire Antonio to be a designer at Forrester Creations, but he had already committed to Spectra Fashions. Working for rival design houses would have been enough of a conflict for the duo, but a far more serious complication came into their lives. Antonio was devastated to learn that a past lover of his, Ellen, had killed herself after she was diagnosed with AIDS.

Antonio was tested to see if he had contracted HIV and was stunned to learn that he had. Instrumental in helping Antonio accept his diagnosis was his boss, Sally Spectra, who gave an uplifting speech to her top designer. Initially, Antonio pushed Kristen (who tested negative) away, wanting to protect her from possible infection and a difficult time should he become ill. Kristen, however, refused to put her love for Antonio aside. Her love and insistence finally got through to him. Antonio realized that he deserved to be happy and have a future with Kristen. The couple decided to get married. Initially, Eric and Stephanie objected to Kristen having a relationship with Antonio. Clarke, Kristen's ex-husband, was so determined to keep Kristen from marrying Antonio that he entertained hiring a man to claim at the wedding that he had infected Antonio with HIV. Eric laughed Clarke out of his home and showed that he had accepted his daughter's decision by eventually agreeing to be Antonio's best man.

Today, Kristen and Antonio, who has remained symptom-free, have adopted a young boy, Zende. The three share a happy life together.

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