This is kind of a weird issue and I'm not sure I'm even writing in the right forum. I live in the Midwest which in the summer is prob similar to the climate of hell, and coping with the heat is a struggle mentally. I'm also peri-menopausal which isn't helping. Of course I hate the sweating which makes me feel like I'm in a constant state of being dirty, but it's the mental stuff that is most upsetting. When I'm exposed to the heat for even a few hours I get depressed and profoundly exhausted and it can last for more than a day. If I'm with people I get quiet and unsociable. It's like my mind just shuts down. People around here, esp younger people, like to plan get togethers and cook outs and I hate to even attend because I feel like it's obvious that I'm in misery and want to be left alone or even just leave. It's embarrassing. For example - I was in a lot of heat yesterday combined with some HUGE fam stress and today I feel to exhausted to move. I don't want to sleep all day, but the fatigue is just overwhelming. The fatigue then triggers fears that I'm going to relapse no matter how much I tell myself that this is a 'normal' result of stress and heat. I think my biggest fear on earth is relapse. My therapist thinks I'm still having PTSD from my last hospitalization for mania. I just find this whole situation really scary. It seems like I have the opposite of the seasonal affective disorder that people get in the winter. Its seems ridiculous to let something as minor as the weather drag me down to this point. All I can think is, there's 3 more months of this?! How am I going to survive intact?! Maybe it's a result of taking Seroquel since that increases the risk for heat exhaustion/stroke. I just wonder if there's anyone else out there that deals with these mental struggles from dealing with the heat and how do you cope? I feel like a freak and no one seems to understand how devastating this heat is to my mind and how beyond my control this feels like. Sorry if this is a rambling post - I'm a mess today. If anyone thinks I should post this in a different forum just let me know. Thx for reading -