Bpcyclist that took courage to send a vulnerable email to your oldest friend 9 days ago. It shows just how much inner strength you have, because you took a risk doing that. You aren't afraid to be yourself with others. Never stop being yourself! I also 100% agree with you that people like us are devalued by Western culture and carry a stigma with us which automatically excludes us from access to the same opportunities as non-mentally ill people in society. There's a huge social bias that is perpetuated by false information, that plays on people's cognitive biases and stereotypes about mentally ill people. It's just wrong.

You are correct that we are our own support system. We have no choice. Thank goodness for Psych Central. That's all I can add.