Dear Alexandra; I really enjoyed your post about how your pets help you with your Manic-Depressive disorder. Your writing was also very eloquent and the last line even brought a little tear to my eye! A friend of mine is also Bi-polar (he prefers the term bi-polar because he says the word "manic" makes him sound crazy, go figure!) and he's told me several times that his dog is sometimes the only thing that gets him out of bed and keeps him alive. I, myself, have adult ADHD, obsessive personality disorder, seasonal-depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. I was just recently diagnosed with most of these and I still have yet to find a combination of meds that work without causing horrible side effects. I have a 2 yr old to care for, 2 carpet sharks, and a chihuahua. I'm also in school part-time for nursing. Somedays, I know that I wouldn't get out of bed if it weren't for my pets and my daughter. My daughter, in fact, is the easiest to care for so if it weren't for the pets, I would be flaked out on the couch all day most likely. She's already potty trained and she likes to entertain herself for the most part. I just have to get her breakfast, refill her sippy cup, heat up lunch, and put her down for nap. My husband helps out a lot when he comes home at 4pm. The ferrets and the dog require more work and I am constantly cleaning the floors because they seem to think it's fun to go potty on the floor NEXT to the CLEAN litter boxes. The dog was trained to go potty on her pee-pee pads but the ferrets are a bad influence on her! So now she thinks it's ok to go on the floor too. She won't go outside because she's so small and it's too cold so oh well. LOL - my life is all about cleaning up poopies. Anyway, just know that you are not alone! I know for a fact that if it weren't for my daughter and my pets that I wouldn't leave the house except to go to school and buy food. Our pets truly are the best medicine! Plus, they listen to our problems MUCH better than people! Melissa http://www.zazzle.com/china_cat84* "Only a ferret can successfully steal your heart and keep you from ever finding it again!" ~ Myself [Posted in FML 6497]