How does mental illness affect me, you ask?

Well, in answering that question, I often find myself saying that it propagates every single situation, every decision that I make on a daily basis, even as far as to go, the very undertones of my existence.

As much as I try to hide my schizophrenia away from those around me that I would prefer not to know about it, there is no possible way to not demonstrate, in every facet of my existence, that I suffer from the insufferable. However, to many people, it would just be what they would say is me just being myself.

Does the medication help? No question that it does, but does it make me symptom free? Definitely not! In fact, sometimes it just adds to the confusion of whether the symptoms are part and parcel of the disorder itself, or an un-intentional side effect of the medication that I take for it.

I do consider myself lucky to be such a highly motivated, successful, and caring and loving person, which really is another reason that upbringing is so important. It is not just genes that determine who we are and what we become, but the environment of learned values over time, that shape and mold us over time.