On the topic of Schizophrenia and God's love.

[Brittany]

I've been diagnosed bipolar, schizoeffective and a number of other things, and I lead a perfectly healthy and capable life. Many of the perceptual distortions I experience are prime contributors to the way I use my psychic abilities. There was a point where these "conditions" ruled my life, and I was constantly in and out of institutions, yet in the end I chose to take responsibility for the state of my being and spend years rigorously training to use these "abnormal" experiences in a positive way. It is VERY possible to overcome the negative side effects of "mental disorders" without filling yourself with poisonous medications and secluding yourself from the world.

I have little sympathy for those who use such conditions as a crutch, or as an excuse to avoid doing anything. In most cases, when I converse with one of these people, the stories I have to tell of my wild years fill them with shock and disbelief, and they don't see how I could be standing in front of them perfectly sane and functional. My response is that if I can do it, so can they. These people need to stop being written off as damaged and dependent, and instead taught to manage the great gifts they possess.