Well said dobie

Great toast. Has a horrible night at that just screwed the rest of my week (long story)
Here is a toast to a nice peaceful nigh sleep and a successful day tomorrow

I'll raise my cup of coffee to your toast as I don't drink any more and say, "A toast to beepers, to all of the mentally ill, because we endure more than most people ever will and yet we never give up."

Luckily through Internet community we are a rising movement. it's amazing how much progress there is no towards collective healing now that we have the Internet and can exchange information across barriers of time and space.

So thankful. in therapy today I was talking to my therapist about how sad i would be if the internet went away.

I can't imagine if we had no DS. I would be truly alone.
Alone with this illness is not a good thing.

dobie: no, being alone with this illness is not good at all.

I have one friend who's Schizoaffective and three who are ADD. It does help to know people both in real life and on the Internet with the same conditions. We are NOT alone.

When I was first diagnosed it was 1998 and there was no Internet. I had no mad community to draw resources and solidarity from. Luckily (though not for them) almost all of my female friends as the small liberal arts college I went to had mental health issues and everyone was on some med or another, so I didn't feel that alone once I started being honest and talking about my issues.

Another online support group y'all may be interested is the Icarus Project: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2394863930/ Great dialogue and community.

the Icarus project on Facebook, so all comments are under your real name and linkable to your Facebook profile, but it is a closed group so your friends don't see why you post there, only Icarus Project members who are all mentally ill themselves. It's great!

I would be totally alone without DS. Hubby is great, but his understanding is incomplete - it must be - he cannot possibly understand what it's like to have schizoaffective/BP disorder. He tries to empathize but it only goes so far.

Glad you get support here, Spacekat :-) It's a bit of a challenging illness, but I think that if we decrease our stress levels, it's definitely a manageable one. Cheers

Hi Dobie, Andrea, SpaceKat and Raylen,

Thank the stars above do DS I would be list without it for sure... Friends and family understand to a point....

Thanks for the Icarus Project plug in they started here in the San Francisco Bay Area so long ago glad to see they are still thriving....

I tried to add them on fb May but no response yet.

Hi, all...This is my first post and first support group joined. I am having a rough time as I feel like nobody understands me. I wish BPD wasn't such a stigma. I just switched to Latuda, hoping that helps...I am just really struggling. I am pushing the ones I love away. My daughter (5) cries and doesn't want me to go and asks me to be nice to mommy (no abuse, she is just having a difficult time with me not being able to control myself). That is the most heartbreaking thing when your daughter asks you to be nice...I am like, I am trying...Then, I go and isolate myself and start bawling. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I don't know what to expect from typing this out, I can't get to my psychologist soon enough(thankfully, today). I just need someone to talk to and a friend. Hope everyone is having a decent Friday!

That's what we're here for Living. We "get it".
Hope to get to know you and hope you find some comfort here.

Welcome, LivinginMiseri! I hope you find he help that you are looking for in here.

We're all here on the Internet looking for help and giving it to others by trading info, tips, empathy and treatments. Hopefully with DS as another tool in your arsenal you will find greater recovery.

Rayen, I'll look at The Icarus Project and see if I can find a way to let you in. Sometimes it takes a little while to be approved as it's a closed group for privacy reasons but hopefully you can get in. It's like DS but all one group and on Facebook.

May, that's so cool you have the Icarus Project in San Francisco. SF is such a cool place. I lived there from 2000-2005. It was crazy but fun. It's a pity what the .com gentrification has done to the city, though.

As we're all talking and getting deep in the lounge I'm bringing in a big steaming pot of French Roast coffee and a bunch of quirky mismatched mugs for everyone like I have in my kitchen.

Let's all sit down on these big fluffy coaches in front of the roaring fireplace (or A/C if you're in California like I am.), and talk about what DS means to us.

i'd like a big cup of latte andrea in a bright yellow and red mug! with some of those little wrapped biscuits they give you in restaurants and cafes with a cup of tea or coffee!! i brought a giant pack of them so there are plenty to go round and i brought a big round purple plate to match the mismatched mugs!

Wow....no one has been in here in almost 24 hours. What gives?
I thought it was just me feeling down.....must be others too.
Let's hope we all perk up some and have a nice Valentine's Day party.
With Red Velvet Cake....and lots of long stemmed roses, champagne and...and....and...a Magician! I'm ready to be sawed in half!!!

gathering the ingredients together now for the cake!