Susan's Story

I have Borderline Personality Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Major Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorder.  I have them but I am not them.  I am 56 years young and I have dealt with these all of my life.  I have been hospitalized at 16 for 5 months and again for various periods of time during my adult life.  Life has been a very big struggle.  I have had several therapists and psychiatrists.  I am at a great place now.  Though all these years of learning about myself and how to handle these mental problems I have become so aware of myself and the world.  Oh, I still have the occasional difficulty and have to see my therapist.  I still see my psychiatrist every three months for a medicine check.  Yes, I will always take some kind of psychiatric drug.  I accept that as a part of my life.  I am where I am now because of all that I went through.  What I want to tell everyone who is in the midst of the struggle is that there is a better life out there.  For me once I accepted my mental problems and took the big step to start working to deal with them and learn how to live with them, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.  I was not magically healed - that does not happen.  I had a long hard journey to get to the place I am today.  I was blessed to find a therapist that fit with me and worked just as hard as I did.  I was blessed to find a psychiatrist that worked with me to find the right mix of medications to help me.  When I took the step to work hard those two men never gave up on me.  Now I am able to function in the world, my family, with my children and extended family, my friends and the people I am around every day.  Life is hard, not as hard as it was but I am always learning and growing.  I will be the best me that I can be.