[Jayhedd818]

Hey guys first off I want to say that I will not be offended by anything and all advice is appreciated as i am trying to make a good decision for my health and future.

First off a little about myself I am 28 and live in a suburb of Cleveland Ohio with my father who is up there in age. I am a very articulate, talented person but unfortunately I have battled some mood and anxiety disorders for years and just this year decided to get serious help for them because things started to get worse and worse.

First off I have never went to college but because of my great personality and strong presence ( I am 6'4 would say handsome etc...when I am in a certain mood I am able to be very convincing)I was able to get many jobs that were good for a high school grad only over the past 10 years but only able to keep the jobs for 6 months max before just having to quit because of a breakdown. When I was younger I had bad anxiety in school and would have terrible panic attacks that resulted in hospitalization...but not being one whom liked doctors really never though alot was wrong with me.

but as the years passed and jobs piled up, I couldn't keep a gf, my mood swings got worse and worse, I was always broke and had a very bad gambling problem. But in the end my father would always save me and was very old school and did not beilive anything was wrong with me. Well this year i went on a lottery show and won over dollars and thought this was the new beginning I needed. Well I was always easy to be taken advantage of and kind of a sucker which really did not fit my personality. Long story short that happened at the end of 2011 at a time when my unknown illnesses were getting so bad I was unable to find any work at all. So this Tv show lottery thing plus the little savings I had cause of my dad I thought I would be ok and get things in order. Within 3 months I had gambled and or been used for loans taken advantage of etc and lost every penny plus some debt.

Finally my father who has always stayed by my side went with me to the doctors. In the past I was diagnosed severe anxiety and panic disorders. Come to find out I had much more...after extensive testing it was deemed that I was Bipolar type 1, Accompanied by mixed states, Panic Disorder, Agra phobia, Severe Anxiety and Depression so the extensive testing began with different medicines to try to improve things. Mind you before anything mental was assumed because we would not believe it we had to be physical so i had all kinds of bloodtests done, xrays, even an endoscopy and colonoscopy. I was found to be physically healthy and then we went the mental path and found out the news. Long story short I have struggled with therapy and different medication the past few months and am hoping to make progress. I never thought I would be applying for government help but I am now on food stamps and am waiting for an answer from social security. Now when all is said and done i will have maybe 1500$ a month in income from what I paid in social security when I was able to work which I am praying I get approved. (I will also have about 30k starting cash from a donor to get started)

Part of my disorder is seasonal and am told if i can get to a climate where it is warmer, less or no snow etc that it would improve my state and i am willing to try anything. One of the few things that give me joy is playing cards and sports gambling. For some reason I am very very good at sports gambling and before I was diagnosed I would win and win say 40/47 games maybe betting a few hundred a game then have a mood change and bet everything on one game and lose. Same with cards I would be patient and ice cold for 30 hours at a time at the table and be unbeatable then drastically change moods and give it all away irrationally in an hour. It made no sense to me for a long time and friends would be amazed at my talents then blown away how I would do a 360 in attitude and turn into a total different person.

I am on some new medication that has helped keep me stable, and other medications to help my anxiety and panic. I have made alot of people whom have entered my life before I wanted to start medication hard, especially my dads. I want him to enjoy his last years in peace not having to deal with my moods. But I am confident with a good diet, continued therapy and medication, and very importantly sunshine and warm weather that i can survive on my own.

As far as money goes medically i will use places that either use a sliding scale or accepts medicaid or medicare whichever I will apply for when I hopefully get approved. I am due to get a good tax return because I spent almost all of my money gambling and saved all losings at my fathers advice and they took out the taxes from my lottery winnings up fromt so I will get a good percentage back which to God's graces will help me with my move and I will leave half for my father to enjoy his retirement here without having to baby me anymore.

Now I am here to hopefully find advice on areas to live that have the good weather and the ability for me to enjoy the simple things in life. I just watched the movie silver linings playbook if any of you get the chance to, it is up for an oscar but it is about a bipolar couple and it really was a mirror image of me. I hope to someday be able to help others because denial cost me alot of time i could have been making changes and getting help instead of scrapping it bye.

I drive but this year for some reason that has become tough for me so not having a vehicle would be ok. I would preferably like to live in walking distance, cab, or scooter also a possibility unless I meet a girl like me or can deal with me lol. I have had many many gf over the years but up until now I didn't realize i was the problem not them so I think I can handle that now if they have patience.

So as long as i have medical care, grocery, pharmacy, relatively close I think I would be ok. This past year after I was used by every scumbag in cleveland, friends, ones I grew up with or other did not matter cause most are now drug addicts and i would not be leaving much behind. i am in need of a new start, i will stay in contact with dad but he seems very happy with the dog, has a house finally that is his to retire in and if things go wrong would welcome me back.

But I really want to try to make it on my own now that I am getting real help plus i think the weather (the snow, solidarity, and sadness of this city really adds to mood disorders). I apologize for any spelling errors. Thank you all for any answers and maybe Las vegas is not the answer but i would like opinions and really want to get far from here. One day if I am stable enough which I feel will come i want to help others with similar problems as well as drug addicts as i lost a few friends to Heroine which is sweeping northeast Ohio and would someday like to help people like that.

But folks help me out here all I need is a 1 bedroom in a decent neighborhood, near a hospital, clinic etc, with a pharmacy and grocery store. Now I have never been to Florida so other warm weather suggestions, low crime city would be great as well. I think a beach would be nice because i sit in one area for hours and generally study anything i can online and alot of times ends up being being very depressed and unable to get anything done. I am good looking but really pale and some sun would do me good as I am physically healthy but lack vitamins. I have weird things that make me happy, but as time and where I live changes I am sure that would. Anyway sorry for being longwinded and any messages are great thanks and thanks for welcoming me to this site. I will not have my w2s and answer for my disability until mid february so this is the discovery stage...I have made so many quick decisions in my life that I would like them all to be educated and well thought out . Thank You All P.S My best friend Todd(who is lucky he never had to work out a day in his life and is ripped lol, be lucky ass on the beaches) is probably coming with me at least for some time. Starting this alone would be very hard, I am sure I will meet a girl in some time. But it would be amazing if my best friend also loved it down there and found a new life and a fresh start. Thank you all so much I read every response!

[kyle19125]

Florida is full of people similar to those you're trying to leave behind in Cleveland unfortunately, though much more so in some areas than others. Jacksonville could be a good fit for you as it seems to draw far fewer of the opportunistic drifter types. The Springfield or Riverside/Avondale neighborhoods are good areas to check out. Good luck!

COJ.net - About Jacksonville

[bobcatt]

Toughen up. You sound like a gambling, anxiety prone whiner

[deb18]

I just learned that Florida is #49th in the country for mental health expenditure. There are obviously other warm states that spend more money on mental health issues. It's hard to get good care for mental health here without good insurance so think deeply about moving here unless insurance is not an issue. Disability is very difficult to get and many people wait 2-5 years before they even have a hearing. Most people get denied the first few times around. Good luck, keep trying, don't get to frustrated and disappointed but you may want to widen your search to other warm weathet states.

[runswithscissors]

1/3 of ALL Americans are on some type of government welfare.

110 Million people Some states benefits are so generous they are equal to a $20.00 minimum wage.

We are not paying taxes in Florida for people to decide to come here to have us pay for their nervous breakdowns just because it's warm. No offense.

You pay alot in air conditioning, anyway.

Go to North Dakota or another of the Great Plains states who are experiencing a BOOM in hiring people.

WHY would ANYONE think that a tourist state which attracts retirees who would bring their retirement funds but ALSO their senior medical needs....wants YOUNG people who cannot function independently ...to move HERE?

Just like Obamacare: you HAVE TO HAVE a BASE of people PAYING for all this STUFF.

And that includes giving children 3 meals a day all year long for FREE.

And don't forget the GOVERNMENT is IMPORTING illegals and shipping them all over the country who are completely illiterate in their OWN language, indigent and government dependent.

Including sticking grown MEN in CHILDREN'S schools and expecting the PARENTS to accept it.

[bbronston]

Thread is more than 1.5 years old. I doubt this guy is reading your comments.