Hi, Nikki, don't you wonder about the accuracy of all those diagnoses? It sounds a bit too much. And you, having background as a Psych. nurse, would be aware of symptoms pointing to that.

I have taken SSRI's for years, first Prozac, and now Paxil. It has helped me tremendously, and I recognize that I have a predisposition (call it a chemical imbalance) toward depression with which I've struggled since childhood. I also recognize that the symptoms were very much present in both parents, and I think of it as both genetic and environmental in origins.

Last summer, my physician saw that I was doing SO WELL, that he reduced my Paxil. I haven't been quite right since, and within the past couple of months he went back and prescribed the original dosage, and I feel it is now not working as well. These meds are very delicate, and my doc should not have screwed with it. In myself, I recognize symptoms of obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior also, as well as currently battling mild depression. Prior to my doctor screwing with the meds, I was free of all of that.

Good luck to you, and keep posting.
ARI