I think a diagnosis is a grave as you allow it to be.

For me the turning point came when i realized there were people with terminal illnesses who complained less and had a better outlook on life.

My condition is not terminal - it's hard but not impossible to overcome, so i might have to adjust to a different way of life, i might have to fight for treatment and understanding. It's not that it could be a lot worse - it's more that i could be dealing with it much better. At the end of the day i'm a speck of dust in the wind - the world will turn with or without me so that takes away the pressure to conform to a life i can't lead.

Besides my medical records are inaccessible to anyone who can lock me up - and even involuntary patients have rights and the option of advocacy etc. We don't lock people up in bear cages and bait them anymore. Anyone else who chooses to discriminate is exceptionally stupid - discrimination lawsuits can end up in million dollar payouts. Most don't risk it anymore, the more awareness being raised the more likely they are to be caught out.

My mental illness doesn't make me more or less of a person. I'm not a part of the great forsaken club - it's just something extra.