I will answer any one question surrounding my experience with dual diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with an unspecified psychotic disorder and co-occurring substance abuse/chemical dependency. The psychotic disorder has delusional features, but no hallucinations, and my history with substance abuse is rather colorful! I am extremely interested to share my experience, but if you are just wanting an overview of what my experience with psychosis is like, Ill just give you that one up front =) " Do you know the feeling when something so impossibly coincidental happens that you think it must be divine providence? Now, imagine if that feeling persisted, if it permeated every detail of life such that a snippet of overheard conversation or an interesting arrangement of off-white pebbles in the driveway or a word read on a license plate all take on extra layers of meaning. These intensely meaningful events all seem to be pointing to some truth, whether obscure or obvious, yet what exactly that truth is lacks consistency. As the varied truths compound upon each other building ever more elaborate stories, the minutia of everyday life becomes so overwhelmingly infused with meaning that one's capacity as an actor in the drama of life becomes lost in a shifting sea of significance. Without the North Star of stable reality upon which to set the self's compass, identity itself becomes as fluid as its perpetually changing plot lines. One moment there is fear that a clandestine agency is quickly closing in, the next there is a relief that the once evil agents are actually friends, here to help. Next, one's soulmate is calling across the ages, directing the soul on a journey of particular significance through a series of signs and signals, or could it be the work of a malevolent spirit, as beguiling as the Mariner's siren? Feel free to ask anything! Nothing is too personal :-) Any subsequent questions are a separate deal. I look forward to talking to you!