Kevin and I started dating when we were 21. We grew very close, very quickly. He was my best friend. 2 peas in a pod. Inseparable. As the first couple of years continued I learned a great deal about Kevin and his life’s troubles prior to meeting me. I also learned that Kevin had tried to commit suicide when he was a teenager in high school...
	I have been affected by mental illness my entire life. My grandmother, my mother, myself, and my son all have bipolar disorder. In addition, I have been diagnosed with several other mental illnesses, beginning at age 16. I have been institutionalized 5 times, have had numerous suicide attempts, a drug overdose, have survived several abusive relationships and multiple marriages, have been homeless, and have had to go through two rounds of shock treatments, all because of mental illness...
	My name is Woodrow Lucas and I am a PHD student in management at Vanderbilt University. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in the winter of 2001. My story is a story of survival. My aim in writing this short peace is to inspire, convict, and hopefully illuminate...
	My first symptoms started in 1974 when I was 17 years old and a senior in highschool. The initial symptoms were delusional thinking, psychosis and paranoia. The delusional thinking took the form of thinking that there were extra-terrestrials and they were in a conspiracy with our government where they would do experimentation with human subjects with the approval and knowledge and consent of our government...
	My name is Brandon Ryan. I am twenty-three old. I was born with a condition called Cerebral Palsy, which from the very start has made my life a tremendous battle of agony and despair. Doctors told my parents that I wouldn't be able to do everyday things like dress and feed myself...