I’m a white male, 57 years old. I had my first manic/psychotic episode in 1972 when I had just turned 18. I was mistakenly diagnosed as paranoid-schizophrenic. The diagnosis was changed to manic-depression in the spring of 1978 after a serious episode, and I started lithium treatment. I have been hospitalized over 16 times thus far as a direct result of my mental illness. Between 1972 and 1996 (my last hospitalization) I have averaged being hospitalized once every 17 months. After years of trying just about every anti-psychotic medication, I finally found one that worked for me.