The thread about psychiatrist numbers sort of inspired me to post this. I thought it would be interesting to see peoples' timelines of mental health treatment. I'm referring specifically to ages/periods when you received formal mental health treatment (any type of mental health issue). I'm sure most of us have had issues at times we didn't receive treatment. I'd exclude those and just focus on your treatment timeline. Here's mine as an example:

* 14 years old - General practitioner (anxiety - Buspar - took for a week or so - saw him once)

* 15 years old - Child therapist - saw him two or three times - traumatic breakdown

* 20 years old - University psychiatrist (probably mixed, but dude prescribed Prozac - took for a few days) - saw him once

* 24 years old - Hospital in Taiwan, but no stay (severe depression - unknown medications - took for about a week) - saw him once

* 25?, 28?, 30?, 32 - General practitioner (anxiety/mixed - various antidepressants - took for a few days to a week or so) - saw same gp all four times, but the fourth time he referred me to a psychiatrist (see below).

* 32 - Psychiatrist (initially Lexapro with group therapy - about 4 weeks - then diagnosed bipolar disorder because of hypomania and quit on that day.)

* 34 - Psychiatrist above (1st hospitalization/alcohol detox - full mania w/mixed features)

* 34 to 38 - Various psych hospitalizations, IOPs/PHPs, private psychiatrists and therapists (mostly manias or manias w/mixed features and psychosis - bipolar medications - mostly complaint, one series of ECT for severe depression towards end)

* 38 to present - My current psychiatrist (various bipolar medications, most the same I'm on now - manias, hypomanias, mixed, depressions, anxiety issues, but quelled quickly to avoid hospitalizations). Various therapists.