Hmm - Rose, you brought up some good questions - ones I've asked myself. On Dr's forms and stuff I usually do list my depression and PTSD, I mean I figure my meds list pretty much gives it away anyhow.

What I related to in your post was the question of "serious". I just don't view my MI / alcoholism as being that "serious", yes there have been periods of my life when they've been very bad, and I really struggle with staying sober, but by and large when I'm not drinking I function ok. When I hear "Serious" in conjunction with MI - I tend to think things like schizophrenia.

Yet I've had my addictions DR, tell me multiple times that I have a very severe form of alcoholism. When I was last doing an IOP for mental Illness, they tried to set me up with a community treatment team, which in Penny pinching ON, is seriously reserved to those with a serious mental illness. I told the RN's that I didn't think I was that sick & they all responded with "oh yes you are." And I've had several nurses and my psychiatrist refer to me as suffering from a sever illness.

So clearly they think it's severe. So why do I downplay it in my head? I don't know - maybe it's because I'm scared to admit how much it's affected me. Maybe it's because I need to keep believing that I will be able to get back into the workforce and work at a fairly senior level again. Maybe my own internalized stigma has something to do with it.

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