Hello everyone.

[Weyoun]

I've been staring at this cursor for about 15 minutes now, so I'll just skip the witty intro and just type the basic facts. :)

-My name is John. I'm 32 years old and from Pennsylvania. I'm single, no children, and I have a 3 year old fawn pug named Phoebe.

-I know it's cliche' but Stephen King really is my absolute favorite writer. And yes, I've read the books as well as seeing the horribly boiled-down movies.

-I saw my first psychiatrist when I was 17 and I have been on and off medication ever since. I have been hospitalized twice (of my own volition) and each stay was only a one-week stay each time.

-If you name a psych med, I'd say there's a 75% chance I've been on..if only for a short time.

-Right now, I'm taking Viibryd 40mg 1xday, Abilify 15mg 1xday, and Klonopin 1mg 3xday.

-My current DX is schizoaffective disorder. I disagree with it completely because I have maybe 2 of the symptoms that my psychiatrist told me about.

That's all I can think of right now. If there's anything else you'd like to know, please ask. :D

[Kuma]

Hey John. Glad you have joined here. I am also relatively new -- I guess a few months. How are the meds working? Do they make you feel better and help you function well? Do you do therapy too? I guess the "diagnosis" does not really matter all that much -- the real issue is whether you can find a combination of medications, therapy and lifestyle changes that make you happy and productive.

As to being single and no kids, I am the opposite -- married with kids. I don't know if that is harder, because I have responsibilities that I cannot ignore, and other people I need to consider, and there are some stresses of family life -- or maybe it is easier because I am not alone as much and also I have the added motivation to get past some issues so that I can meet my obligations. Hard to say. Maybe a little of both.

Anyway, I hope you find something useful here -- and find some ways to help others here -- and I wish you the best.

[Weyoun]

Well, I really don't take the Abilify or the Viibryd regularly because the Abilify makes me feel like my head is connected to a car battery and the Viibryd has recently caused me some stomach issues. The Klonopin really helps with my anxiety but I've read so many horror stories about withdrawals (Stevie Nicks, for example) that I'm afraid to even attempt to wean off of it. The only things I don't like about the Klonopin are the memory issues and the overall feeling of being stuck in "second gear."

Thank you for your warm welcome and I look forward to being a member here.