Dear Julie, your message really hit home. I was diagnosed with late-onset CAH at 19, but my teen years were pure hell also. Starting at about age 6 I had symptoms of CAH but my parents didn't have it checked out. I had a TERRIBLE time with depression, anxiety, and mood swings. I must have been horrible to live with. I was put on birth control pills at age 16 because I had never had a period and they thought that was the answer to getting it started. Even then they didn't catch that it was CAH. I don't know how they couldn't have thought something was wrong because of the acne, excessive hair growth, and every day headaches. Well at age 15 I had both maternal grandparents die (we were very close) within 6 months of each other and I too started "medicating" to deal with the stress with drugs and other unappropriate behavior (my testosterone was 8 or 9 times higher than it should have been). At age 19 I was finally diagnosed after my doctor sent me to a larger town and a prominent medical center to see an endocrinologist. Well, it was non-saltwasting CAH. It still took years for me to understand CAH and that my symptoms were from the illness. By the way, the drug use stopped once I felt better,(along with everything else) so there is hope. Feel free to e-mail me back. Good luck. Susan A,