Ok – I’m back on the WEGO Health prompts today!  Today’s topic is Three Truths and One Lie: Tell us 3 things that are true about you, your condition, your Health Activism, or your life. Now tell us 1 lie. Do you think we will be able to tell the difference?  Let’s see!

1. Mental illness runs in my family.  There is strong evidence that mental illness is hereditary, and even though Tim is adopted, my family is no stranger to it.  I have more than one relative that has been treated for anxiety conditions and at least one who has dealt with depression.  One of my grandparents committed suicide.  I  have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and have been treated for depression.  Tim’s diagnosis and our outspoken advocacy has, I think, given a few relatives an outlet to talk about mental health issues within our family history.
2. I believe in the therapeutic power of music.  All kinds of music.  I can change my mood in the three minutes it takes to play one of my favorite songs in my headphones.  I sing in my car like it’s a rolling karaoke machine.  I can even tell what mood Tim is in by the music he chooses to play on a given day. Everyone in the family sings and/or plays an instrument.  Wonderboy is by far the most musical – he sings and plays piano, guitar, and saxophone.  We own over 500 CDs of every genre, from classical to jazz, rock, pop, indie, and country.  I can’t imagine not easy access to all kinds of music whenever I feel the need.
3. I really do like to cook.  Tom does 99.9% of the cooking around our house because he loves it and he’s really, really good at it.  But I do like to spend time in the kitchen learning new recipes and cuisines.  If I wasn’t working and had the time every evening to make dinner for the family at a decent hour, I’d push Tom out of the kitchen in a heartbeat.  I read cookbooks like other people read novels, and I’m addicted to the Food Network.  I wish I could spend more time learning the techniques Tom has perfected. Maybe I should make some time for that!
4. I hate meds.  Hate. We absolutely refused to put Tim on meds until he was nearly 13, and then, about eight months into our first round, we talked our psychiatrist into doing a med wash and kept him off meds another six.  I hate the side effects – sedation and drooling are the worst – and I hate feeling like we are trading one evil for another.  But I know that without meds, Tim wouldn’t be anywhere even close to stable.  Sometimes I think back to the conversation with the doctor about us being at either Clozaril or ECT, and wondering if we should have chosen ECT instead.  I wonder if he’d be able to be med free if we had.  Now, I just don’t want to rock the boat.