This is the introduction thread. Say hi, tell us where you’re from and what your writing is all about! In your introduction, answer these 4 questions: ➡️ What is your name (preferred pronouns as well, if you don't mind) ➡️ Why did you decide to join The Unexpected Shape Café? ➡️ What is your favorite book? ➡️ What are you interested in writing about? We can’t wait to meet you! If you'd like to share anything else as well, feel free! And welcome!

I am struck by Esme and Dan's warmth and the warmth of those who post. I struggle with being warm. I am not used to it in my daily life from the people I live with. It is also a deficit associated with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, trauma, and parkinsonism. It is a significant social deficit that I am trying to overcome. So, if my responses seem clinical and devoid of feeling that's an old habit I am trying to change. It does not mean I do not appreciate the warmth of others. I do. And they are role models for me.

Elyn Saks’s “The Center Cannot Hold,” Esme Wang’s “The Collected Schizophrenia Essays,” Steve Colori’s “Experiencing and Overcoming Schizoaffective Disorder,” Arnhild Lauveng’s “A Roadback from Schizophrenia,” Emmet Rensin’s “The Complications On Going Insane In America,” and Esme Wang's "Border of Paradise."

The first thing CoPilot says is that it is prone to errors. It is important to verify the content of their sources. I have run a series of tests that test the limits of CoPilot. One technique is asking CoPilot a question you know the answer to. Posing multiple queries in which you rephrase your question is one way to check CoPilot. CoPilot's response to a query made three months ago may vary widely from the same query made today. Asking a simple question will result in a less detailed response than if you put the question in a larger context. In my experience, the more context you provide, the more accurate the response. I depend heavily on CoPilot for certain types of basic research. I am housebound and poor so I cannot afford to buy articles/papers/subscriptions found on Google Scholar. While the abstracts tend to be free, they do not include critical information. Access to articles on Google Scholar may require subscriptions to professional journals not available to the general public. What do you think?

In my thirty years of being in psychiatric care I have had at least nine psychiatrists. I have had three because of turnover in the public system, three who rotated through my ward during my commitment, one when hospitalized for a potentially lethal small bowel obstruction, and the other two in private care. The first private psychiatrist, who was the best psychiatrist I experienced, had to leave the state for health reasons (2013-2016). His replacement is also excellent. My first experience with a psychiatrist was in the public system (1994-2008?) and he did more harm than good. He did do two positive things in the fourteen years I saw him. So, my experience suggests that you have a 33 1/3 % chance of getting a good psychiatrist and that private psychiatrists are better than public system psychiatrists. I say the latter with the caveat that, again in my experience, the public system I experienced had a reputation for making doing good psychiatry difficult and a high turnover rate because of this difficulty. The best psychiatrists did not seem to last long. I did have one excellent psychiatrist in public care who saved my life. What do you think makes a good psychiatrist? And what has been your experience?