3rd entry-

Mental illness is the unspoken elephant in my family. Even though 4 out of 10 have been officially diagnosed and treated, it is a common theme that it seems to be all made up so that drug companies can make money. I too held that notion, until life became so painful and my health so frail with anxiety attacks that all I could think of was dying. Thoughts of dying were so common to me that they became a companion and friend. When my husband was deployed to Iraq, my holding it together became impossible and asked my doctor for a referral and evaluation as I was not yet ready to have him guess at some medication for me. That turned out to be good step and I was able to get a good evaluation from a psychiatrist and psychologist and I have been undergoing treatment now steadily for the almost a year now.

All of these little steps along the way have good little stories in them that I will reveal from time to time as this blog evolves.