And what about when reality itself? Kind of crazy. Mine is, a lot. But yet, sanity demands you accept the established version, right? I've decided I'm too healthy to be quite that sane. Oh, Sophia, that really is a horrible story. We had a cat that got like that...she was probably dying.

This is awesome: Vintage Octopus Pulp Covers

Also, although I have chronic depression, the most suicidal I have ever gotten is hoping I would have a car accident. My depression manifests itself in sever hypochondria, which is why I have so much trouble deciding if something is worthy of a doctor's visit!

My depression manifests itself in severe hypochondria, which is why I have so much trouble deciding if something is worthy of a doctor's visit!

One clue is a lot of blood. Another is having all your invisible friends tell you to go to the doctor.

Last year I started Lexapro to fight the crippling anxiety. I don't know if it was placebo effect or luck, but it made an immediate difference. However--and without medical consultation--I decided that I didn't want to trust my coping mechanisms to chemicals and tapered myself off the Lexapro. No side effects that I've noticed, and the anxiety doesn't come on nearly as strong any more. Maybe my brain chemistry needed a little "this is how it's supposed to function, remember?" time.

God bless the folks for whom the drugs make the difference. For me, at this point in my life, I'd rather see the monsters coming in all their horror and fight on through. At least I know I've got an extra shield in the arsenal if need be.

After four months at sea, ghost ship with 11 petrified corpses washes up in Barbados

This:

I'm not bipolar, I'm just perimenopausal

One clue is a lot of blood. Another is having all your invisible friends tell you to go to the doctor...

Made me laugh way more than they should have.

It made me laugh, too Cindy! Even the one about me, because it is so true!

Somehow, that's the funniest part. I mean, what do you say to the doctor, "I think I'm okay, but my invisible friends insisted, so I'm here to get my cat bites checked"?

Maybe my brain chemistry needed a little "this is how it's supposed to function, remember?" time.

Sometimes that's all you need. Seriously. I mean, it's not like your life has been stress-free over the past few years. Or even filled with the stresses that happen to everyone (bills, minor illness, the Bush administration). You've been under a constant barrage of unbelievably stressful crap, and that's bound to make your brain go "Oh HELL no, bitch! I am SO not coping with this!"

So you help your brain out, it calms down, and then you and your brain can agree to go back to drug-free stress management.