Hello, l am new here too. I just wanted to say it is very hard to get people to understand, but you can find people who believe you, and back you up 100%. For me, it was hard to find these people. But when l did it made me feel safer. The other thing is if you have to self medicate, try and think of a time when you don’t need to. You don’t want to damage yourself. If l read this in my 20s and 30s l wouldn’t have taken my advice. I was too terrified! I went through about 6-7 therapists before l found the right one. I think the psychologist has to help you find your own way. Some of them do not react well if you don’t respond to them. Don’t worry about that. I also think that people like us have a craving to be understood. I found a creative outlet that helped me with that. I could not live without it. These are my first thoughts when l read your post.