My mental illness reached climax when I was seventeen. It was then I started many years of in and out of psychiatric wards. Most stays in the hospital were ten days. My problem was the doctors figuring out my diagnosis. My lifestyle changes were the problem. Some issues were resolved over the years. I had substance abuse issues. When I was almost finished with getting my bachelor's degree I moved out on my own. I went to nearby colleges. Public transit was reliable. I didn't have much of a social life. I stayed home mostly with my nose in a book all throughout my college years. I was making up for my terrible high school situation caused by binge drinking and smoking marijuana. My mental health improved over many years. I was able to work some during college. I was working full-time nights at a seasonal computer job. My school grades suffered. Then job ended. I failed one entire trimester. It cost me a lower grade point average. I graduated with honor of making president's list and dean's list in my first trimester. I went through a series of hospitalizations. I had medical assistance which I never used much. I eventually ended up living with my parents again. Then into the psychiatric ward. My case worker decided I should sign-up for social security disability. I stayed at a group home for a month then got a job working nights stocking shelves. A couple of months later, I got my social security disability benefit started. I supported myself with social security disability benefits. Eventually I got subsidized housing. I found out about numerous other sources of low income benefits available. I started work with non-profits. The work gave me some income. After a few years, the non-profit work ended. My diagnosis changed over time. That had to do with my recovery from substance abuse problems. My doctor gave me appropriate medication for my situation at the time. I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Then I had a diagnosis of allergies. Then I stopped smoking cigarettes. My overall health improved. Since I wasn't buying cigarettes, I had more money to spend. Over the years better medications came on the market. I was started on a new medication and was able to go back to work part-time at first. I was able to go back to work full-time with health coverage. I went off my social security disability benefits. My doctor recommended a sunlamp to use when the days get shorter since lack of sunlight makes some people depressed. It worked. I continued at my job for many years, then got depressed when I hadn't used the sunlamp for two years. Then I quit working. My doctor put me on an anti-depressant. It was new on the market. It didn't work. I eventually wound up in the psychiatric ward again. I eventually started going to a drop-in center. They helped me gain employment. It was a part-time computer job. I worked there many years. I was able to continue to receive my social security disability benefits since I was not working many hours. Over the years I was hospitalized something like 20 times. I saw a variety of doctors until settling in Madison Wisconsin. I stayed with the same doctor for 33 years. I stopped seeing her because she retired. We got along well. My advice is to get into treatment early since you can qualify for more benefits at a younger age. Discontinuing bad habits early is important. From personal experience, I discovered, if people, who are in authority, see you change a situation, they may grant you more. They are more likely to be sympathetic to your cause,