Nikki, how do you feel about retiring? You sound matter-of-fact about it. I have had clinical depression and anxiety disorder, including panic attacks. My concern was that I was always treated for the symptoms. It was not until my 40's that the reason for the symptoms started to be addressed. As Ari says, both my parents had depressive tendancies, and my father was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. I worried for years that I would be "just like my father." Anyway, my 40s it was noted that I'd really been battling PTSD forever, due to childhood sexual abuse and other traumas. So, in my case, it was nurture AND nature. The early anti-depressants such as Elavil made me a disabled zombie. The newer anti-depressants, such as Zoloft and Celexa, have been a life-saver to me. I also take Xanax at night because I get night-time anxiety. As a social worker, I was able to do research that indicates the a high percentage of people in psych wards are treated for symptoms, when the underlying causes for the symptoms (such as sexual abuse) are undiscovered and thus not addressed. I have so much respect for psych nurses. I wrote about one in Beyond the Tears who took an interest in me, and I will never forget her kindness. The psych nurses and aides were much more beneficial to me than any single session with the stupid shrink. I would say that that your profession would be enough to upset anybody! Thanks for opening up this topic. Love and Light, Lynn