I'm a mental health nurse, and in some ways that really worked against me when I first got sick. I recognized that I was experiencing the symptoms of major depressive disorder, and while self-diagnosis generally doesn't work very well, I knew that if I were to see a health care provider that's the diagnosis I would end up with. As ridiculous as it now seems, I thought that because of my professional role I should be able to deal with it on my own. I was wrong, of course.