Living with mental problems can be extremely difficult. There are rarely symptoms that show. People have told me, "It's all in your head, you can get over it". Yes, it is all in my head, but that doesn't make it any less real.

Getting an accurate diagnosis can be a problem. When I was 42, my wife and I took our youngest son to a psychiatrist because he was having major problems socializing in school. The shrink told us that he has Asperger's Syndrome, and gave us some of the symptoms. Suzanne and I looked at each other and said, almost in chorus, that he was describing me. That was the first time I was given a diagnosis of it. I had largely learnt by then how do deal with it, but I had to work it all out by myself without quite knowing just what was wrong, only that something was.

I also have PTSD, a double-whammy. I too, have days when I simply cannot get out of bed. The last time it happened, my dog, Belle, was the one who helped me most. She helped more than the VA shrink.