'I'm 28. And I'm Scheduled to Die in May.'

Taking away bodily autonomy is very close to killing a person, yes. People value their body autonomy so much, it's such a deeply-rooted instinct that messing with it can lead to death (either straight up death or personality/ego death).

How often one hears, usually after sexual assault: "they were such a bright, chatty person before, now they're withdrawn, have panic attacks, PTSD, they hurt themselves etc." That's personality death and it comes from denying bodily autonomy.

Hello friend. I read your comment and felt compelled to share my story.

I struggled with mood swings since I was 15, and I was finally diagnosed Bipolar II in college. It laid wreckage to a normal life, I ended up flunking out of semesters and never graduated. I struggled with it throughout my 20s, always feeling like I couldn't get out of my own way. Like you, I tried Lamictal, and hated the side effects.

My life changed when 7 years ago I tried what was then a novel, unproven treatment for Bipolar: the ketogenic diet. Within a few weeks my symptoms went into remission (90% reduction I'd estimate). The mood swings, the static I'd feel in my brain -- everything calmed down. I broke down in tears with my girlfriend... what could the last 15 years have been like with this?

My life had a complete turnaround. Relationships improved. My career took off. I haven't looked back. And 7 years later, this is no longer and unproven treatment. Just yesterday Stanford published their new study after years of research led by Dr. Shebani Sethi (who coined the new term "metabolic psychiatry"). Here's the link: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=8997844...

Another great recent piece: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/27/1227062...

Harvard and McLean hospital are working on another study, led by Dr. Chris Palmer (his book "Brain Energy" is a must-read). The research is being funded by the Baszucki Group (David is Founder/CEO of Roblox), since it saved/changed their son Matt's life, putting his BiPolar I into remission. Check out their site http://metabolicmind.org.

Is Bipolar incurable, chronic and life-long? That's what everybody says. But my story and many others proves otherwise. My psychiatrist says I no longer meet the criteria for Bipolar. Am I cured? Not really -- if I get out of ketosis, the symptoms eventually come back. But that's a price I'm very willing to pay.

I hope this is helpful. I highly recommend you do your own research, and try it out.

Metabolic psychiatry is part of a new paradigm of frontier mental health solutions. I believe in them so much that I started a new venture to help accelerate its adoption in mainstream medicine.

> Drinking around 1 liter of water for each 30kg of body weight per day

I don't think there is any scientific basis for drinking water when you're not thirsty. I suspect this idea originated from marketing for bottled water.

I get it. I really get it.

I am 40. A promising start in life. I began programming in C at the age of nine, before the internet existed, and found it to be my passion. At twelve, I discovered that programming could be a career and pursued it academically, earning a master's degree . Despite my love for programming and the idea of working in tech, I inexplicably chose to become a teacher, a decision I now attribute to self-sabotage, perhaps fueled by autism.

Throughout my life, I have struggled immensely with completing tasks, seeking help from numerous therapists. My current therapist has diagnosed me with autism spectrum disorder, which provides some clarity. I find myself unable to tackle items on my to-do list, consistently doing everything late, annoying co-workers because of it, and pouring every ounce of my energy into attempting to sit down and work. This has been a lifelong battle, and I am exhausted from living this way. I had dreamed of transitioning to programming, but I recognize that my struggles with task completion will persist regardless of my chosen path. This will not get better. I've tried everything. I've read almost every popular work on procrastination. I understand that my worth is not equal to my work output. I've tried SSRIs, a bunch of stimulants (Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, modafinil, Mydayis, dexedrine), and they work temporarily, but I find myself quickly falling into the same torture wheel.

I empathize with the girl in the article who wants to end her life, as I presume she also faces these kind of difficulties with task initiation. While I am not suicidal, every day feels like a recurring nightmare. I am tired. I am very tired.