I have accepted the fact that I am dual diagnosis for bipolar disorder and drug addiction. I recently went to rehab twice this year to adjust my meds. I take Lithium, Trileptal, and Abilify.
During college, I was in the Psychology Association at Chico State (PACS) as a Fund-raiser, the semester before I was diagnosed with my mental illness. Thanks to my awareness of my disease, I was more able to deal with my time in jail and my recovery.
Even though I wasn't a psychology major, that club helped me branch out into other areas besides my boring, chick-less Mechanical Engineering classes. I immediately fell in lovelust with this cute blond surfer girl, whom was from So Cal. There was another cutie that was totally into me. If I recall, I ended up at least kissing one or both of them on separate occasions.
This disease is REAL to me. Whether or not it is a result of Nature vs. Nurture and/or consequences of self-medication with alcohol and other substances, this disorder affects me every single day of my life. It's effects can be felt in my body, mind, and spirit/soul. The manic highs I feel can oftentimes be followed by deep depression and vice-versa. Mentally, physically (biologically), and spiritually, this chemical imbalance hurts me all the time. To say that it does not exist.
(To the guy that attributes mental illness to the Matrix and "Disney Virginity", I have two words for you Lindsay Lohan....)
I just read that 1 out of 5 people with bipolar disorder commits suicide. That is a shocking figure. To the person that doubts that mental illness is REAL... I feel it everyday. Thanks to classes like Psychology 101, sociology, chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology, and many other hard sciences (and social sciences)... I believe that I have been helped along the way to understand my problems.
Thanks to psychiatry, therapy/counseling, exercise, and living a stress-free, sober/clean lifestyle, I can restore myself to SANITY finally. It's just a long, hard road to be on.
-Chicoman _________________ "Failure is not an option. Everyone has to succeed." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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