Ah, the perpetual challenge of introducing oneself online. Although my profile is a Cliff's notes sort of introduction, I guess I should discuss other, more relevant things here.
I've been dealing with chronic insomnia about as long as I've been dealing with my mental health issues, they often feed each other (or starve each other), and suffice to say it has been more years that I care to admit, lest the secret of my real age be (gasp) revealed. Since I am blessed with the anti-aging treatment known as “being Asian,” I look a lot younger than I am, and I'd like to continue to delude myself into thinking that's my actual age. That said, if you look at my career and internship history, it provides a clue, as does my never-ending obsession with the '90s.
I am very lucky (sarcasm) that I get to deal with pretty much all varieties of insomnia, as I imagine is the case with many of you. Sometimes I can't fall asleep, sometimes I wake up ridiculously shy of getting enough sleep, sometimes I wake up throughout the night, sometimes I just wake up for a few hours lying in bed after thinking I was successfully going to fall asleep, and sometimes it's a combination of those things–or all of the above.
In the world of mental health, I assume I'd make an interestingly boring term paper for some psych. major. I've gotten a lot of diagnoses thrown around over the years, but the generally agreed on are bipolar, multiple anxiety disorders, and a dash of dissociation and occasional psychosis, just to keep things unpredictable. I've been told by several psychiatrists over the years, “You've got a very complicated problem, that requires very complicated medication treatment.” That's both reassuring and unpleasant to hear over and over again.
So in the interest of failing to be succinct, but trying real hard, I'll stop there.