Well, Hello There....

Good Evening...I'm Violet and a I'm a New Poster Wink

I was pleasently surprised to find this forum, while Googling one of my favourite daytime programmes. I've had a little wander and I like what I see! Have seen some heartbreaking posts, in addition to some heartfelt replies and just like the show, this board has it's colourful array of individual personalities.

Myself? Well, with my background, I could well be a candidate for the show; however, life changes and so do people! Now-a-days, I'm a 30-something, full-time psychology student & lone parent. I have opinions on just about everything and could certainly give JK a run for his money! I'm not the sort of person who strives to be liked or agreed with- I simply say what I see & think. However, I like to think that I can see more than one side to a story and like to keep an objective view on most things... I may be opinionated, but I'm not ignorant!

Life for me, right now, is pretty simple: I live with my 11 year old son & our 5 cats, and am going in to my last year of a Batcholors degree in psychology. Currently, I'm working for our future- everything else comes second. I don't party, don't date and don't attract drama. I have aspirations to work in either adult or child therapy (cognitive behavioural and/or psychodynamic), so am working hard to achieve that goal.

I've been on both sides of the fence, so any advice I happen to give on the board is not only text book. I live with a personality disorder and as a result, have had many past periods of depression, suicidal tendencies, auditory hallucinations & self harm. I suffered with symptoms of severe depression, on & off, for over 15 years before I found proper treatment, even though I had seen psychiatrists & counsellors over that period of time.
Firstly, different diagnosis' were labelled upon me and even though I was being given medication, no one seemed to really know what to do with me. I felt like a guinea pig for a following 2 years, while being switched between anti-depressants & anti-psychotics. Then I was sent to see a psychologist...

Change doesn't arrive overnight. It took over 5 years before I could honestly say that I was controlling my personality disorder. And even now, I have days where I'm in doubt. Yet I am certain that I will never, ever go back to my 'dark days'. I'm in control of my own life and that's one thing that cannot change- even if everything else is crumbling around my ears!

Anyway, enough about me! How are you? How's life treating you? Wanna chat about it? Wink