For 14 years, Mario was medicated to manage his schizo-affective disorder, which had initially been diagnosed as depression. His birthdays became the saddest time of the year instead of this happiest time. That all changed when he started the Truehope program in 2007. Within weeks, he finally felt honesty and hope; he was on his way to living a life he had thought was out of reach.
My name is Mario Leon and I am from San Jose, Costa Rica. I was medicated from 13 to 27 years of age with all kinds of psychiatric medications.
I went through a long list of psychiatrists, each recommending a different drug or set of drugs for a different diagnosis. Of course, in each case when I asked if it would make me feel better or if I would be able to live a normal life some day, I received only hopeless and ambiguous answers. I was finally told that I suffered from schizo-affective disorder, a diagnosis curiously different from the first one of severe depression.
I could describe the horrible suffering that I felt from the side effects of the drugs, the anguish felt by my loved ones, and how much I hated life before I learned about Truehope. Instead, assuming that those who read this are looking for hope, I prefer to recount the beautiful life I have now seven years after the best decision of my life. No more fear. Hearing from others like me that there truly is an exit from depression.
In February of 2007, my cousin, who lives in Canada, was visiting me in Costa Rica and told me about an alternative treatment for my depression. At first, I could not even grasp the idea of having a normal life. Without a doubt, I had totally forgotten what it was like to feel good, and I had even become accustomed to my illness. However, of one thing I was sure: anything was better than what I was feeling all this time.
I decided to contact Truehope.
I started my program with EMPowerplus in March of 2007. From the first time I spoke with my Truehope support specialist, I felt a feeling I had never felt before: a feeling of honesty and hope. A few weeks later, my life took a 180 degree turn. I felt alive in the full sense of the word. It was as if a bandage had been removed from my eyes and I saw life in all its glorious colours.
In all my previous years of illness, the months of July and August were months of crisis for me during which I felt the worst. My birthday falls during this time, and I now understand that my sadness during these months was because they always represented having to live through another year of suffering. However, the year I started my Truehope program, it was different. Although my family was worried and fearful of how I would react at this critical time of year, I felt absolutely no fear. As a matter of fact, I was so busy living my new life to the fullest that my depression rapidly became a distant memory.
August of this same year, I was medication free. In less than one year, I was detoxified of a long list of drugs, including Haldol, Lamictol, Remeron, Edronas, Seroquel, and others. In my case, I did not feel adverse effects during the process of drug reduction. In fact, I was so anxious to not have to take any more drugs that my Truehope support specialist had to tell me to be patient on more than one occasion. In my dark past, it was easy to treat life casually. I used alcohol to escape the situation I was living in. Now, finally, I am capable of appreciating my life in all its beautiful range of experiences. I have even learned to enjoy even the moments when I do not feel really well, because I now know that everyone has good days and bad days. This is just part of the great adventure of life.
After seven years of being well, I carry on such a normal life that I sometimes forget that I once lived a nightmare. Thanks to all the support staff at Truehope, today I can tell you that life is beautiful and that depression for me is now nothing more than a memory.”
—Mario Leon, Costa Rica