Ripose, I always say I was born with mental illness. Circumstances in my childhood helped to exacerbate the mental illness, but I am sure I had genetic mental illness going on. I remember feeling terribly depressed as a tiny child (3-4 years), looking out of my parents' car window at long, late-afternoon shadows and thinking of sadness and death. By the time I was 7 or 8 I had a terrible anxiety disorder and OCD - along with the depression. By 9 or 10 I was having moods issues that I'm sure were early Bipolar disorder. I was seventeen when I saw my first therapist...by age 23 I was finally on medication. I'm 51 now.

I cringe when people criticize parents for putting their child on meds for mental health issues. I'm not saying that meds should be used for every little issue a kid has. But if there had been medication available when I was a child I truly believe my life would have been much less miserable than it has been and often still is.

Can you explain in more detail what the problem has been with your psych care?