Michanne, yes, intelligent, thoughtful dialogue is possible and most welcomed.

Venus, I hear you on the meds messing with your mind so you can't do what you need or want to do to make a living. I have been a creative person all of my life...at one point years ago I had poetry published in respectable poetry journals. More poetry was requested of me, but at that time I was raising young children and I had to choose between being a crazy poet or being a good mother to my children. Meds allowed me to be a good mother. Sad, about the poetry...but - my God - I now have two grown children who are just plain incredible people. Now, at age 51, that means so much to me and as the years go by, the importance of family becomes paramount.

It's just over the past year that meds have been kind of letting me down. I strongly suspect, however, that a big part of the problem is not mental illness, not meds, but perimenopause. I hope I'm wrong, because there really isn't any clear treatment for menopause craziness...it really scares me. Venus, how are you with not being on medication? I mean...are you able to function successfully on a day-to-day basis in your world?