Avidreader, I can relate to what you are saying here, totally.

At 57, I've been dealing with depression/PTSD and the mental health field since my twenties, and after awhile I do feel that many start to look at me as a 'chart', not a person. Complicating matters, many people struggling with mental illness do end up making their illness their defining feature--the central thing about them. I think the system kind of encourages this, frankly, and I also think sometimes this response is just necessary for survival. It can take all of a person's resources, emotional and otherwise, to just comply and try to stay above water mentally and emotionally. I've sure been there before, and may be again.

When I was in the hospital in January (first and hopefully last time) it struck me that the caregivers and professionals were like people in any field--some were great, others not so much. A few were really awful. (There was a Nurse Ratchett clone there, ugh--I learned to just steer clear of her.)

It's taught me to be more assertive, weirdly. I have to remind these people I'm Pam, not Major Depressive Disorder with comorbid PTSD.

It isn't always easy but I guess it's not all bad. Thank you for your insights!