CCL - As everyone has said, self-medication is fraught with problems. Self-medication with lithium can be down-right dangerous. The therapeutic range of lithium (ie. the difference between minimum effective blood concentration lithium and the toxic blood concentration of lithium) is very narrow when compared with most other medications. This is why it is necessary to have frequent blood tests when starting lithium therapy (eg. 2-3 times/week).

Lithium doses also need to be titrated upward slowly. The dose of the drug is slowly increased until you arrive at a dose that is effective, but not toxic. The slow titration of the lithium also allows one's body to adjust to the drug. Several of lithium's initial side effects (eg. diarrhea, nausea, profuse sweating, tremors) can be more than uncomfortable; they can debilitating. The convulsions and coma that rarely occur from accidentally too high a starting dose can ruin your whole day.

Lithium is definitely not a drug that one should be taking without expert medical help.

As for the stigma of having a mental illness, I can relate. I wrote an article on stigma and mental health for the journal Pharmacy Practice. In research the article I found out many interesting things. Did you know that it is a fact that 23% (that's 1 in4 to 1 in 5) of the first world population will, at some point in their life, experience a mental problem severe enough to warrant professional intervention. This may not help with the stigma, but it lets you know that you are not alone.

Hey, the closet's dark; come join us in the middle of the room. - Cam

Oh, and if I hear that weakness fallacy ... myth ... whatever ... again ....I'll