I've often been described as a moody person. There is definitely some truth in that. I guess I do have a tendency to experience extreme emotions, and I feel passion in every part of my life. Sometimes, my hyper-sensitivity alienates me from others because I don't always understand the non-logic people use in their lives, and it has taken me a long time to stop and consider the alternative paths people take in getting where they are going. I didn't know where I was going, and it frustrated me.- In high school, I was taken to a psychiatrist and prescribed pills of various different sorts to deal with the depression/ manic/depression I was diagnosed as possessing. It was all very confusing. I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't allowed to do so because of my parents and school administration. At one point I even got the psychiatrist to admit that she thought my mother was unreasonable. After weeks of medication that made me sleepy all the time and feel like crap, they put me on a new medication. After a week of that, I took myself off of it without telling anyone for fear they would put me on another med. I hid the pills in my closet for a year. The funny thing wasn't that anyone noticed I wasn't taking them, the funny thing was that I was changing, but it didn't have anything to do with the pills. My mother kept telling me how much more pleasant to be around I was [since going on medication.] I think this had to do with the fact that I began to open myself to my parents' point of view. I still don't agree with it, but at least I think I understand it now. I also think that they treated me different because they thought I couldn't change on my own, that I needed a doctor to tell me what was wrong.- I don't tell my story and expect that everyone will have the same experience. I do believe that some meds help some people, depending on their problem. I do, however, see an overwhelming dependency on the traditional western medicine world, so much so, that people are willing to try any pill possible in lieu of taking the time to open themselves to the world. All the medicines and treatments in the world won't help you if you can't take the time to listen to and try and understand the people around you.- I am a "big picture" kind of girl. I want to take it all in and be part of life. I have learned to embrace my shitty days when I feel like nothing works or I am angry with the world, because I know that if I can feel such rage or be so depressed, I am also able to feel complete ecstatic happiness. And it is those moments that make everything bad worthwhile.