Arturo

Arturo happens to be the first gay patient to occupy a room in Building 10 since the beginning of my tour of duty as a volunteer in April of '09.

Arturo appears to be a well-dressed, well-groomed young man at first glance. Certainly not the look of a mental patient. Arturo belongs on a billboard with a daiquiri in one hand and a pink dildo tattooed on his chest. Pet therapy, from what I am able to tell, is his oyster, his reason for getting out of bed in the morning and facing the rest of the world. He likes dogs. He feeds off their energy.

Like so many of us, Arturo hasn't always led a jubilant life. When Arturo's boyfriend broke up with him, Arturo attempted suicide. Either he laid on a heated stove or forced his face and torso inside an oven.

Arturo is diagnosed with major depressive disorder, recurrent and severe without psychotic features. A psychiatrist in Building 10 prescribed him mirtazapine and sertraline.