Lets see here. When I was 13-14 I was having issues in school. My mom took me to go see a counsler who sent me to a phsyc. This phsyc saw me once named me bi-polar then recended that and called it manic depressive (this was before it was the same disorder). All she prescribed was zoloft..Which I tried to od on so I was taken off meds altoghether. Mom and dad had me in and out of counsling throughout my teens. I started using pot at 15, acid at 17, meth at 18. Shrooms at 20, and in between this time I had another suicide attempt. Going back to when I was 18 I made an impulsive decision to drive out to co from oh to meet my now husband..I told no one I just went. Anyways we moved to new mexico 2 years ago because my hubby is in the military. The docs here insisted I was just depressed and homesick. The prescribed some celexa and sent me on my way. It wasn't until just recently that it just started getting really really bad. I started having thoughts that my hubby was cheating on me with my girlfriend. It got to the point that I was carring arouind a blade because I wanted to hurt her. I started to cut myself again. My husband had enough and we realized that the doctors out here were not listening. I went home for a few months and was in intensive outpatient therepy. The doctor I had out there put me on symbyax but the zyprexa made me eat like a cow so I was then put on depakote, celexa and wellbutrin. Unfortunately the wellbutrin caused a rash..That I still can't get rid of so we had to ditch that med. The celexa did nothing so he switched me up to prozac. So now I am on depakote and prozac and am still having to take prescribed benadryll, aciphex, and compazine to counteract the side effects from the mental drugs. I have been told that there are other meds that I could take but most of the bi-polar meds make you gain weight or have a skin rash side effect that I seem to be prone to. I donate funds to the bi-polar foundation in hopes that one day I can be healthy again. I will gladly share my story to you to help gain funds for mental health research. I remeber one thing my oh doc said was that mental health only gets 1 percent of medical funds to me that is 49 percent too little. Right now I am pretty much on bed rest, I can not stand for more than an hour a day because the rashing comes back when I put physical strain on my legs and the docs are farely certain it is due to my meds because my bloodwork is coming up clean. I have gained 30 pounds since nov. 2004, I can not work, I can not walk my kid to school.....All because I am bi-polar and no one can get me something to work with my body. You send this to legislature girl adn make them listen! I am standing behind you 100%