My SSDI Story part 3

The next few months weren’t too bad mentally, but I had started taking the atypical anti-psychotic Zyprexa in the spring. Today it is notorious for causing extreme weight gain and encouraging the development of diabetes. In the end I gained 70 pounds on the drug — very damaging to my self-esteem! I don’t remember much more about that year (the reason will be evident shortly), but in the fall the depression began again. In November or possibly December I
went inpatient for the first of many times throughout the next five months. I just couldn’t stay out — I was not safe. My pdoc (psychiatrist) tried different medications; nothing helped. Eventually we tried ECT — shock treatments. Even those did not lift my mood, although they did erase portions of my
memory.

After the ECT, the pdoc sent me home, mentioning the possible need of a stay in the state hospital since I was not responding to treatment. Needless to say I was terrified! The next time, I went to a different hospital but it was a very bad situation. My friend indicated that perhaps I should move back home and live with my mom, and since my mom was willing, this was what I did. After that I returned to the hospital only once then had two years without being inpatient.

In the meantime, I applied for Social Security Disability, since it was obvious that working was out of the question.