In the spring of 1999, on a bright sunny morning, I was driving to my new job feeling pretty good about myself. I had handled a tricky situation over the weekend and was replaying it in my head, quietly proud of how I’d managed it.

Then the local comedy radio show started talking about me. The hosts were laughing, cutting up, and praising how great I had done. For a couple of days I felt on top of the world — like the universe itself was cheering me on.

Then the exhaustion set in, and everything flipped. The positive voices turned dark and negative. What started as euphoria crashed into confusion and fear.

The mind can play some truly wild tricks when it breaks. That was my introduction to psychosis.

Have you ever experienced a psychotic episode? What was your first one like? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.