Guest Blogger: Karl Lorenz Willett.
Thank you, Ashley, for inviting me to be a guest blogger on your website.
I am a big fan of your blog and always look forward to your new post. The depth of insightful information or a particular point raised provided a lot of practical, valuable information that has been incredibly helpful.
Key Points in this post/blog:
My mission is to provide clear explanations and valuable, insightful, and informative blogs that resonate with your readers and will benefit them.
In my recently published book, A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection (Revised Edition), I hope to offer a new perspective on paranoid schizophrenia.
I hope that readers will be enthusiastic about the content and purchase a copy of the book online or from retail bookstores.
Below are extracts taken from the book:
The challenge of the disease is to stay symptom-free, and I believe I can do this because I have created a purpose-driven life, have the support I need from my family and have educated myself about the illness. In addition, I am pursuing self-help strategies that prevent my thinking and behavior from developing into psychotic episodes.
I trust myself to tell someone about my mental health if:
- I start withdrawing from relationships or hobbies
- I have increased anger, aggression or suspiciousness
- I start feeling a sense of inactivity and hyperactivity/hypersensitivity
- I start behaving in a way that is reckless, strange or out of character
- I stop paying attention to personal hygiene
- I start laughing or crying inappropriately or am unable to laugh or cry
- I am unable to feel or express happiness or start having feelings of depression and anxiety
- I have decreased or disturbed sleep.
It is a long, challenging road to stay symptom-free, and I am prepared to take the best care of myself to give me the best chance of having no symptoms and sustaining recovery. I now have more control over my recovery than I probably realise.
Acute psychosis is not a pleasant condition; it is incredibly frightening, debilitating and exhausting for sufferers and loved ones who care for those of us who experience it. I have four years, from 2014 to 2018, of relative stability from psychosis. As a long-term sufferer since 1977, I have learnt to have the best chance of increasing peace and stability and avoiding a psychiatric crisis. There are many negative consequences when this chronic condition disrupts life. Overwhelming anxieties often trigger my relapse, and acting early and talking to trusted people help prevent deterioration. The less external stress I have to deal with, the more energy I can devote to recovery, and now that I have no work-related stress, I hope I can recognise the warning signs and stay on top of it. Refocusing on reframing what I regard as success and failure could significantly impact my life if I had not learnt how or what my symptom triggers are. I want to spread some lived wisdom with tips for having total remission from schizophrenia. A ‘lasting recovery in schizophrenia’ is how I genuinely think of it.
Tips on lasting recovery from schizophrenia:
1. Before you go off your antipsychotic medications, talk to your treating specialist, a GP, your family or a friend. The decision to reduce or come off antipsychotics should be based on discussion, research and planning.
2. Minimize the stress in your life. Pressure can be a trigger for relapse.
3. Make sure you get regular quality sleep because sleep deprivation can be diabolical for an emotional disease such as schizophrenia.
4. Learn your triggers and symptoms and talk to someone about them.
5. Remember your bodily aches, monitor physical symptoms and the health of emotions of your brain’s ideas and ills, eat healthily, exercise and do not smoke.
6. Schizophrenia cannot be treated by diet, exercise, prayer or willpower alone, especially in the acute state. Instead, evidence-based treatment by medical professionals is required.
7. A philosophy around what you hope to be and what you intend to accomplish is vital. Core values, ideals and principles bring enthusiasm and passion to your life, and beliefs or activities excite and mean something to you. Also, have reasons for doing what you are doing with your life. Then, your direction in the process and the actions you must take will fulfil the requirements of your plan. People with schizophrenia face so many barriers. Brave challenges and difficulties can be veritably won over if people with schizophrenia can teach themselves confidence, immense courage and the willpower to overcome challenges.
I have grappled with severe paranoid schizophrenia for four decades, and only recently did my determination and courage spark a new awakening and a new horizon.
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