Hello, hexacoda. I really enjoyed doing web development, but I did it for years, and that route seems done. I have a BA in English/creative writing, and an MA in anthropology, so I have skills, but my illness doesn't really allow me to work in any coherent way. I do a few hours a day of useful activities, and the rest of the day I fight my symptoms. Mental illness is like anything else: if you're determined, you can squeeze a little lemonade out of a bag of lemons.

I write short stories about mental illness, but people don't seem interested in reading about it. It's funny, because editors at magazines always say they are interested in hearing from the disabled, but when they say that they mean soldiers who lost an arm or leg in the wars. Mental illness is off limits. I read an interesting comment by someone who said people aren't afraid of physical disabilities, because they see these people getting fitted for prosthetics and getting back to life. But with mental illness, your life falls apart, and you may never get it back again. There is always that fear, not too far in the back of their mind, that they too may one day come down with mental illness and lose everything. So they don't want to hear about it, for fear of making it happen to themselves...

Recently I went on lithium, which has done a good job of managing the frequent manic spikes I experience. Still having trouble sleeping, but the rush of wild energy and discombobulated thoughts are now under control. The psychotic symptoms, unfortunately, still rage on, and it's hard to imagine going back to work. The symptoms can act up at any time, anywhere, and stress makes them worse. So for now I'm on disability, and it's been 11 years, so I don't hold out much hope for full recovery.

Thanks for writing, it's nice to hear from you!