Eric Smith

And as it turns out, I remember sitting in that room when the results were being discussed with my parents and I was there. The doctor said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, your son Eric's answers are consistent with individuals who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And they were like, so you're saying he's got bipolar disorder?

And as it turns out, I remember sitting in that room when the results were being discussed with my parents and I was there. The doctor said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, your son Eric's answers are consistent with individuals who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And they were like, so you're saying he's got bipolar disorder?

And as it turns out, I remember sitting in that room when the results were being discussed with my parents and I was there. The doctor said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, your son Eric's answers are consistent with individuals who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And they were like, so you're saying he's got bipolar disorder?

Doctor was like, his answers are consistent with it and would explain some of the high highs he's having and some of the low lows he's been having. The piece I'm about to say, this is actually what for the first time really had me questioning the validity or reliability of psychiatry and counseling because what he said next was both wild and would later prove to be true.

Doctor was like, his answers are consistent with it and would explain some of the high highs he's having and some of the low lows he's been having. The piece I'm about to say, this is actually what for the first time really had me questioning the validity or reliability of psychiatry and counseling because what he said next was both wild and would later prove to be true.

Doctor was like, his answers are consistent with it and would explain some of the high highs he's having and some of the low lows he's been having. The piece I'm about to say, this is actually what for the first time really had me questioning the validity or reliability of psychiatry and counseling because what he said next was both wild and would later prove to be true.

He said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, don't be surprised if at some point later when your son is in his 20s, if he also falls ill with psychosis or some sort of psychotic spectrum disorder like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. At that point, I could collectively feel in the room like my mom, my dad and me, not necessarily in denial, but just in disbelief. Like, what are you doing?

He said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, don't be surprised if at some point later when your son is in his 20s, if he also falls ill with psychosis or some sort of psychotic spectrum disorder like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. At that point, I could collectively feel in the room like my mom, my dad and me, not necessarily in denial, but just in disbelief. Like, what are you doing?

He said, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, don't be surprised if at some point later when your son is in his 20s, if he also falls ill with psychosis or some sort of psychotic spectrum disorder like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. At that point, I could collectively feel in the room like my mom, my dad and me, not necessarily in denial, but just in disbelief. Like, what are you doing?

Like for sports fans out there who remember like Babe Ruth famously like pointing out to the stands and then cracking one out there. Come on, like for a doctor to look at someone who's in his young teens and say, hey, don't be surprised if you're psychotic in your 20s. That was a wild thing to consider at that time. That is exactly what happened.

Like for sports fans out there who remember like Babe Ruth famously like pointing out to the stands and then cracking one out there. Come on, like for a doctor to look at someone who's in his young teens and say, hey, don't be surprised if you're psychotic in your 20s. That was a wild thing to consider at that time. That is exactly what happened.

Like for sports fans out there who remember like Babe Ruth famously like pointing out to the stands and then cracking one out there. Come on, like for a doctor to look at someone who's in his young teens and say, hey, don't be surprised if you're psychotic in your 20s. That was a wild thing to consider at that time. That is exactly what happened.

Fast forwarding kind of through my teens where I drop out of high school in my junior year. I get a general equivalency high school degree, and I try college. I do okay my first semester. I failed spectacularly out of it in my second semester. The years go by. The mental illness gets worse. The addiction gets worse. As a point of relevance here, I did get sober in 2006.

Fast forwarding kind of through my teens where I drop out of high school in my junior year. I get a general equivalency high school degree, and I try college. I do okay my first semester. I failed spectacularly out of it in my second semester. The years go by. The mental illness gets worse. The addiction gets worse. As a point of relevance here, I did get sober in 2006.

Fast forwarding kind of through my teens where I drop out of high school in my junior year. I get a general equivalency high school degree, and I try college. I do okay my first semester. I failed spectacularly out of it in my second semester. The years go by. The mental illness gets worse. The addiction gets worse. As a point of relevance here, I did get sober in 2006.

I did not get full-blown psychosis until about three years later. It's worth saying when you're asking me this question, you asked me here a little ago, like what contributed to things going off track? Like what made it happen? Some of it was choice, right? Like I chose to start using drugs. The addiction thereafter was not my choice, but I definitely made a choice to start using drugs.

I did not get full-blown psychosis until about three years later. It's worth saying when you're asking me this question, you asked me here a little ago, like what contributed to things going off track? Like what made it happen? Some of it was choice, right? Like I chose to start using drugs. The addiction thereafter was not my choice, but I definitely made a choice to start using drugs.

I did not get full-blown psychosis until about three years later. It's worth saying when you're asking me this question, you asked me here a little ago, like what contributed to things going off track? Like what made it happen? Some of it was choice, right? Like I chose to start using drugs. The addiction thereafter was not my choice, but I definitely made a choice to start using drugs.

The worse the illness got and the worse the symptoms got, the less control I had over any of it. I went through a period of more than a decade's worth of trial and error with antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, SSRIs, like the whole gamut of everything, and things kept getting worse.

The worse the illness got and the worse the symptoms got, the less control I had over any of it. I went through a period of more than a decade's worth of trial and error with antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, SSRIs, like the whole gamut of everything, and things kept getting worse.