Bruce Schutter: My Story Part 1 — I was Unqualified for Life

For 20+ years, my life’s challenges — Bipolar Disorder, Alcoholism, PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder — controlled everything. They filled my days with crises, shame, and depression so heavy it crushed any chance of happiness. I believed there was nothing I could do to change it.

It started in high school. At 16, I joined the volunteer rescue squad. My very first call was a woman we performed CPR on… but couldn’t save. That moment left a permanent mark. The trauma planted the early seeds of PTSD, sending me into a dark depression, yet also fueling my desire to save others. In my bipolar mind, this mirrored what I thought life was — extreme highs and crushing lows.

Those lows, paired with relentless anxiety, led me to alcohol. I thought it was the perfect way to avoid my emotions. While I became an EMT and led calls, I also surrendered more control to my struggles.

Through college and into my IT career, it looked like I was succeeding: house, cars, good job.

But behind the scenes, I was drinking heavily, spending recklessly, and crumbling under the weight of emotions I couldn’t manage.

The unprocessed trauma from my EMT years fed my PTSD symptoms — flashbacks, anxiety spikes and an emotional numbness that made everyday life harder to bear.

There were arrests for drinking, psych holds, and days where getting out of bed felt pointless. I avoided asking for help — thinking it meant weakness — while my challenges held me hostage. Eventually, I reached the darkest point of my life: I decided I no longer wanted to be here.

By sheer luck, that wasn’t my fate. But survival wasn’t enough. I needed a solution.

I went to meetings, took meds, saw doctors — yet nothing worked — until I realized something no one had ever told me: My mental health was the key to everything!

It wasn’t a side issue — it was the foundation. And I’d never prioritized it.

That’s when the Mental Health Warrior mindset was born. I stopped fearing my emotions and started learning how to face them head-on. I built tools, rules and strategies that gave me control over my life again.

This became the foundation for the Mental Health Warrior Program, which has produced life-changing results — not just for me, but for others who have joined the journey.

For the first time, I wasn’t just surviving — I was moving forward! And that’s where the next chapter begins…

Part #2 - My Solution to Life's Challenges