When it comes to dating, guys tend to freak out when you tell them six months into the relationship that you hear voices and sometimes see things that aren't there. Surprisingly, a lot of people, including my now-husband, were okay with it as long as they find out right away, so I learned to be very up-front about it. On the other hand, you have to watch out for the crazy fetishists, like this one guy I dated in college. These guys seek out "psychos" because they think they'll be better in bed. Sadly, I didn't last long with that guy, because I -- the actually mentally ill person -- wasn't anywhere near as insane as other girls he dated, who were presumably perfectly healthy.

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"Couldn't 'slip into something more comfortable' mean lingerie just once?"

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I eventually graduated with a degree in IT, but while I was in college, I worked normal college student service jobs, including one at a hotel front desk. My disorder came to light on the job because it happened to coincide with one of my "fuck medication" phases, and I picked up an unfortunate habit of checking in guests who weren't there. My explanation of, "Terribly sorry about that, I have schizophrenia, I'll try harder to differentiate between real and imaginary guests in the future" didn't go over as well as I'd hoped. My manager went nuts, insisting that I was dangerous and shouldn't be working with the public.

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Luckily I'm in a field that allows me to work from home, so now that's an option. I'm a mostly normal person -- a college-educated, married, work-at-home mom. I realize that makes for a less-than-exciting ending to this tale, but that's the point. You've spoken to or worked with people with schizophrenia and you never knew it, because they live the same boring day-to-day lives as the rest of us. That normal, everyday life is a precious thing, and I can say from experience that getting it probably required them to wade through a whole lot of bullshit.

Amanda Davenport is a work-at-home mom with an amazing 3-year-old, an awesome husband, and a cute little shih tzu. Check out her website if you're interested in working at home. For excessive Fight Club jokes, follow Manna on Twitter.

For more insider perspectives, check out 5 Horrific Things You Learn Preserving Brains for a Living and 5 Disturbing Things I Learned in Scientology's 'Space Navy'. Have a story to share with Cracked? Email us here.

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