by Elvia in Texas
In 1996, at the age of 22, I was hospitalized for the first time after severe sleep deprivation during my senior year in college. I was diagnosed bipolar but it was unclear whether that was accurate and if so, what did that mean for me in my life.
by Cheryl in Virginia
As a Child, I was sexually abused and had an alcoholic parent. I was an anxious child and as I grew up I had many depressed and manic episodes throughout my life.
by Deb in Pennsylvania
Mental illness has affected my life in more ways than one, because I have not been able to hold a full-time job since 2003. Because I have some very severe mood swings, and I can't handle stress because it sets my anxiety off. I really wanted to go back to work; therefore, I decided to try it and I was there one day had an anxiety attack. I had to quit.
by Marc in Wisconsin
Hello, my name is Marc and this is my bi-polar adventure. I was diagnosed bi-polar back in 1998 or 1999 after a severe manic episode. During this episode I attacked my father, put cereal boxes in our driveway, and had enough energy to just go and go...I've never felt more free. It was like when you're a little kid and you do something and you forget about it and move on to the next thing.
by Charlie in Rhode Island
After having struggled with schizophrenia previously, I now live with it but no longer struggle with it, which is not to say that I sometimes don't struggle with problems. I was diagnosed with, at the time, schizoaffective, in my senior year in college. I was given the wrong treatment and diagnosis for six years, getting medications that didn't work, and no chance to feel comfortable expressing myself.
by Denise in Washington
My diagnosis with ADHD last year at 54 years old was both shocking and relieving. I was shocked because I thought that ADD was a childhood disorder, and I was relieved because it explained some painful aspects of my life.
by Feeling Worthless in Alabama
My life started getting affected by panic disorder and fear when I was in the fourth grade. Bullies from school have ruined my life, both at school and at home,I have severe depression, panic disorder, fear, phobias, behavorial issues and cannot cope hardly at all. All my relationships had failed and all my jobs never worked out well because of my problems.
by Forgotten Dad in Washington
First and foremost, I am a survivor. How has this disease affected my life? I have had difficult times with relationships. I keep everyone at a distance. Even those who I know I can trust. Trust is a big issue. I can count the number of people I trust on one hand. And even with those people there are doubts of trust.
by Larry in Pennsylvania
I would like to share with you my experience with the mental health system. Years ago, when I graduated from college I went back to New York to live with my parents. I was confused and did not what to do with myself. I was getting into trouble, doing drugs, etc. My parents sent me to psychiatrist who diagnosed me as mentally ill. The shrink then referred me to a neurologist for tests. The neurologist examined me in Columbia/Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for several days. I was given a CAT scan, heart exam, eye tests and a whole gamut of exams.
by Joe in Indiana
I was enrolled in a Ph.D. Program of finance at the University of Rochester when I picked up the book, Moby Dick. I thought the book would be interesting to read while I waited for classes to start in the fall of 1986. When I began reading Moby Dick, I was mentally healthy as far as myself and all of my friends could tell. But two months later, once I finished reading Moby Dick, I was quite psychotic. I had autonomous voices talking to me inside my head much of my waking hours. As a psychotic, I felt some pressure to obey my voices. It is not as though I would obey every comment I heard in my head, but ideas that my voices spoke to me about that appeared relatively low risk ideas to follow, were commonly obeyed by me.
