This stage is the time between when symptoms first begin and when a person is diagnosed. People can go through intense emotional suffering from the symptoms of the illness and also from being diagnosed with a mental illness. These experiences are often overwhelming. And they change the way they see themselves.

The Danger
The danger is that people will start to see themselves in terms of their mental illness. By re-defining their identity , they automatically limit their belief about what they can and will be able to do. They begin to see themselves as the illness. They see themselves as unable to do most of the things they would like to, and they give up their hopes, dreams and expectations.