Don't know if I was mentally ill, but I started having panic attacks at age 6. I just think it was because I was too sensitive to the world and sort of wondered what the heck I was doing there.

When I was 13 I had a year of tics that probably was a precursor to mental illness, so I guess it started then.

I have always been different though, although didn't really notice until I was a bit older, I sort of should have noticed but there was always other oddballs I could befriend so before kids started acting out maybe at age 13-14, I could live side by side with them, but at that age it dawned on me we're different species.