and belonging to a respected profession. I knew full well that the stigma that travels with mental illness could trip me up one of these days, but I certainly wasn’t going to collaborate in my own “demise” if I could help it. Even Congress recognized the potential for the damage, when it passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers (and schools) from even asking about a psychiatric history. Now, however, the issue was more complicated than my own goals and ambitions. If I had the opportunity to treat patients, would my illness put them at risk? Would my delusional
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