I am not upset that I have schizophrenia, this is the life God chose for me. The other day I was telling my mother I am glad I took a break from school, but I wish I had taken it sooner so that I could have recognized my illness sooner. She reminded me that everything happens for a reason, and that had I took a break sooner I would not have been able to know my full potential in college and in life. I went to college and got really involved in it through sports, internships, and mentoring peers. I was involved in so many things, school, church, home, friends, family, you name it! She was right, I am glad I took the path I took.
I did not always have schizophrenia, but now that I have it I will work hard to overcome it. I try not to use the word schizophrenic because that identifies the person by their illness and that isn't fair. I am Ashley and I have schizophrenia. I will not let it limit my potential or define who I am. I can and will overcome these symptoms with medication, therapy, support, and coping mechanisms.
My mother also reminded me that I used what I learned from my experiences to cope with the side effects of my medication. I was stiff and restless. To control this I exercised, paced, and read the Bible to relax. I also sang hymns and prayed to God.
If you have a mental illness, don't be upset that you have the illness, everybody has imperfections and remember that God does not put more on you than what you can bare.
I did not always have schizophrenia, but now that I have it I will work hard to overcome it. I try not to use the word schizophrenic because that identifies the person by their illness and that isn't fair. I am Ashley and I have schizophrenia. I will not let it limit my potential or define who I am. I can and will overcome these symptoms with medication, therapy, support, and coping mechanisms.
My mother also reminded me that I used what I learned from my experiences to cope with the side effects of my medication. I was stiff and restless. To control this I exercised, paced, and read the Bible to relax. I also sang hymns and prayed to God.
If you have a mental illness, don't be upset that you have the illness, everybody has imperfections and remember that God does not put more on you than what you can bare.
Comments
Cheryl
First, I am very sorry that that happened to you and anyone else that may have happened to. And secondly, I do not believe that people who have schizophrenia are possessed by demons or unnatural spirits. Third, I was diagnosed very early on so I didn't display my symptoms to a lot of people.
Part of the reason why I have not experienced this is I haven't told many people that I have schizophrenia. And so a lot of people, such as people I work with, do not even know that I have a mental illness. But had I told more people, I am sure I would have got that sort of feedback. It is ancient thinking, and backward at that! I am very selective with whom I tell, because not everybody will understand the illness.
Also, as part of my illness I thought everyone around me were either angles or demons in disguise. I thought I was a prophet and had a gift to decipher spirits. This psychosis is what led to my nervous breakdown.
Ashley
As far as disclosure goes I tell some that I have SZA. I spoke twice at a transistional living facility in front of the staff. The first time I did I wasn't sure what they'd say or think. It turned out better than I thought.
I have talked to psychology students. I write blogs, occasionally in my local newspaper.
God chose this path for me as well. He showed me the path , but I have to walk it.
For me, this may be different for other people with adult onset schizophrenia, the symptoms came gradually. I remember in high school I thought I could sense angles and demons in people.
Schizophrenia worsens when one is overwhelmed by stressful situations. For me this was college, working, and moving to another state. However, the chemical imbalance was probably with me all along, it just didn't manifest itself until adulthood.
I am not a psychiatrist, however, specialist in schizophrenia say it is caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. Environmental factors could include obstretic complications before or after birth, and stress.
Ashley
If, as you say some people are not "born" with it so to say - does that then also mean that with the adequate combination of medication and therapy it can go away?
Unfortunately there is no cure for schizophrenia. Once someone has schizophrenia they will always have it.
However, the illness can go into remission with proper treatment. What I mean by remission is when someone goes without symptoms for at least six months while on medication.
Ashley
thanx
Elaine
On separate occasions I had confidence to go without the medicine. Relapsed back to the "dark days" In my relapses they were the lonliest of the lonliest of times. Felt all alone eh?
Well. I've been off pills since May 2008. No longer suffering symptoms. I had prayer done by Christians various times. & also sleep very peaceful at night. :]
God Bless.
Luckily I am so successful and grounded that I was in great spirits when some major things went wrong in my life. I had to walk away from some projects when I saw the people doing things wrong towards fellow people, and using my good name to instigate it! It meant some very hard financial times for me but I stood for people and not money. I started to have what some would call a nervous breakdown. The wired thing was that I do so much good for people. I also could have let things as they were and made money at the expense of fellow man.
Something truly amazing just happened to me! Normaly if I were in bad spirits and depressed I would have been committed. But because I am a great success I had friends and family around. They stayed by my side and I started telling them things and then minutes later they would see something I just talked about!! My Mom, my girlfriend, Colin, Tom, and other friends have been totally floored! I already have a writer lined up to interview them about what they saw and how they thought I went crazy at first. I saw their mouths drop when they witnessed my gift. Now everyone is getting right with God because we are believing that there must be another dimension! I'm here to tell you I never subscribed to hocus pocus, spirits, aliens, or anything supernatural. I labeled myself as agnostic. Now I have been rocked to my core beliefs! God is real!! When you think you are normal and then you "discover" you are not, its a bery horrible place to be. Shrinks think it is psychotic and convince you that you need meds. This makes you feel like a nut!! It makes it worse!! It becomes a downward spiral. Your mind goes faster than your mouth can speak. You can't even articulate your thoughts! If anyone is going through this and needs some guidance I would love to shed some light on your situation. This year I am set to make more money than ever, open two stores, and I've repaired a lot of lives! All because my "break" was positive. My first break was very dark and embarrassing. That was 14 years ago and i never thought i would be on the subject again. I did figure something out in my first "nervous breakdown" When I corrected my selfish behaviors and put people first, I.e saying kind things to strangers, giving of myself, no regard for money over people, helping people who broke down on the side of the road, etc, I got better almost overnight and started making more money than ever without even trying! You can walk into a major bookseller and see my work!! Never a "break" until last month! Now I've really figured some things out and I have normal people as witnesses. If anyone is struggling with this phenomena I would be glad to talk to them or their loved ones and share a phenomenal story. Their are some mainsteam books that talk about this. Have you heard of the Secret? The author fully believes you can bestow great wealth and knowledge on yourself through some phenomena! You can call me any time. I will make a alternate email and post it here soon so my business email doesn't get spammed by computer crawlers. Blessings, Doug Thompson
Though I have not been diagnosed schizophrenia I am quite religious and spend a lot of time in meditation. I sometimes feel that I have religious experiences, for example, feeling God's presence. As a religious person do you ever have religious experiences such as these? And if so, how are they similar to or different to symptoms of schizophrenia? Do you think it's possible to experience religious phenomena without any sort of mental illness?
Sierra
I think feeling God's presence is evidence of the holy spirit. And, yes, I most definitely believe it is possible to experience religious phenomena and to not have a mental illness.
Brittany Smiley,
Hi Brittany, I strongly encourage you to seek professional support and treatment for yourself to minimize or eradicate the voices so that you can enjoy life to the fullest.
Regards to all,
Ashley