It's hard for me to imagine a life without some kind of mental illness. My first dx was at age 12. Has it ruined my life? It's hard to say. I've had great jobs, boyfriends and now a husband. I've travelled. To see me, you would never know there is something there -
but I've also been sui, hospitalized, lost jobs, gained weight....who knows how much more successful I'd have been without it.