I was diagnosed with psychotic depression in 2002. In early 2003 I was having some pretty severe job difficulties that landed me in the hospital for mental health reasons more than once. I was working as a pharmacy tech for a retail pharmacy.

I experienced psychotic episodes for about 4-6 months. These episodes mostly revolved around a store manager I had. I was convinced the manager was out to harm me.

One episode took place in the ER. I was absolutely terrified and was certain the manager knew I was there and was somehow going to get in and come after me. I recall even seeing the manager at my bedside at one point. I also had episodes at home. I don't recall ever seeing the manager at home, but I was terrified that he was in our around my apartment building planning to harm me. The manager drove a pick-up truck and once while in the store parking lot I noticed a pitch fork in the back. After that I was convinced he was the devil.

While these episodes were happening, I was completely unaware that these were not real events. Nothing or no one was going to convince me these things were all in my head. It was very terrifying for my family. Something I have found interesting is there were a few times I did not recognize my roommate but I always knew who my 2 cats were.

I have not experienced any psychotic episodes since this. I was also in an active state of depression during this and those symptoms started first and lasted longer.

I currently am taking Seroquel (anti-psychotic), Prozac and Effexor XR (anti-depressants), and Ativan (anti-anxiety). My mental health has been very stable for about four years, and I've had no medication changes.