Well, after having a computer crash for a month and being in another funk, I'm back again.  I want to be an advocate for mental disorders because many people just don't understand.  For so many years, people with mental disorders were totally misunderstood.  In the 20th century, people just wouldn't admit they had a problem and just muddled through it because of the stigma associated with it.  Prior to the 20th century, they were put in institutions where conditions and care were terrible.  In the 19th century and prior, families would actually lock their family member up in an attic or basement to keep them out of the public eye.  I look at myself and while my conditions are not as serious as many people I have come to know and love, I feel blessed that I am living in a time where the medical profession has realized that these conditions are NOT mental, but physical.  There is a deficiency in serotonin and other brain chemicals that cause the condition.  And believe me, physical symptoms DO accompany these conditions.  I hate being stigmatized.  I'm an intelligent person who loves people and seeks to understand other people and cultures.  I'm not someone to be afraid of.  That's why I have decided to tell my story to educate people that a mental condition is nothing to fear.  It took me years to acknowledge this and years to seek medical help.  And it was only until I almost died from an overdose that I sought help.  I didn't know what was going on, I just knew I couldn't take it anymore in the condition I was in.  Just recently, I had to have my meds increased because the depression made me lethargic and unproductive.  But I don't only rely on doctors and meds, I hold onto the promises that Jesus has given me.  God said in Jeremiah that he has plans not to hurt us, but for us to prosper.  I think that means to prosper in every aspect of life and I praise Him for this.  Please, please....if you see someone who you might think is having problems, don't tell them to get over it.  THEY CAN'T!!!!   And I surely would hate to see someone who has been told to "just get over it" to realize they can't and go down the road I did.  It's only by the grace of God that I'm still here.  I was 10 minutes from death.  They told my family they didn't think I was going to make it.  But God reached down and saved me from death, and that tells me He has work for me to do....and part of my work is this....help someone who is hurting by listening, truly listening, what Mindfullness calls "Active Listening".  You may know someone is at the end of their rope whether they have a mental illness or not.  Jesus told us to love one another.  Just by listening to someone could make all the difference in the world.  And if it is mental illness in their life, help them seek treatment.  Many times, we just need a loving ear.

This is certainly a post out of the context of my earlier posts, but I just really want to help those who may be suffering.  And if you are reading this post, you could be the person to save a life.