My freshman year of college, I learned about some major world problems and was really disturbed by them. Feeling that I’d lost all hope, I suffered a mental breakdown and threatened to end my life.

Over the next few months, I transferred among several different hospitals and housing situations. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was prescribed various medications to treat the aggressive symptoms. Though I was sometimes required to take the pills, I resisted, because I didn’t like how they made me feel. 

I grew up attending Christian Science Sunday School, so I also turned to Christian Science for help at various times during this period. I called several different Christian Science practitioners, and they were all very helpful. But I wasn’t always receptive.