2024 Updates

2024 is going to be a busy year. I’m hauling ass to get Story of Hope published traditionally so it can turn into the bestseller I’ve always wanted (kidding. Mostly). But exciting news. I’m self-publishing The Meg and Other “Shark” Stories. It should come out between February and April. There are a bunch of personal essays about my stays in the mental institution, my painful transition through puberty, my middle school mess-ups, my relationships and friendships. I’m really proud of it and it will probably only be ten dollars so there’s no excuse not to get a copy.

Outside of work, I plan on spending a lot of time with my friends, family and boyfriend Justin. In May we are all going to Cape Cod again for my giant family reunion. Justin said it was the highlight of 2023. It’ll definitely be a bright spot in 2024.

I got some interesting news today. I was cleaning out the bins in my closet where I store paper (and occasionally dead crickets) and I came across the discharge papers from the hospital this summer. As I expected I saw “bipolar” and “panic disorder” (they left out the OCD because it wasn’t what brought me in) but I saw two surprises. There was “schizophrenia spectrum” and also “borderline personality disorder” Now I do exhibit psychotic symptoms- hearing voices, paranoid delusions. I also have been diagnosed with borderline personality by at least three different doctors so maybe it’s time I start listening to it. The fact is I’m very resistant to being considered borderline. There is a great stigma in the mental health community against people with borderline who are often seen as manipulative and difficult. Some therapists flat out refuse to work with borderline patients. And it’s a personality disorder so there is no medicine for it. I’ll have to talk to my therapist and doctor about these new/old diagnosis. But I won’t let this deter me. Diagnosis is far from exact science in the mental health community. Either way I think I’m doing quite well.