Skip to main content

Checking In on My Health

The other day I spoke to a relative and they told me I sounded very well. They asked me how everything was concerning my medication and how was school. I am doing very well, the medication I am on helps tremendously and I am thankful to have my mind back and am able to do activities I enjoy doing such as participating in groups and leading group sessions. I plan on starting school this fall. I know I keep pushing it back, but I am hopeful that I will actually start college again soon.

When I start school I plan on taking two classes at the most and leading one to two peer groups on the side. If it is too stressful I'll just drop one course and focus on the one course and my groups. It sounds like a lot I know, but I think I will be able to manage it if I continue to participate in group therapy and communicate with my support system (i.e., people I trust and can rely on such as my family, therapist and doctor).

I want to make something clear schizophrenia or any illness for that matter does not affect everybody the same way, and that goes for medication as well. For example, just because one type of medicine works for Bob it does not mean that that same medication will work for Sue.

Also, there are different types of schizophrenia (i.e., paranoid, undifferentiated, residual, disorganized, and catatonic), and several medications to choose from. I am fortunate that my doctor and I found a medication that works for me (I tried a few medications before finding the right one). I knew the other medications were not for me because of their side effects, the medication I am on now has little side effects that is manageable.

To learn more about schizophrenia go to Embracing My Mind, Inc., the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (Canada).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Religious Preoccupation

After a talk, a woman asked me if my faith contributed to my recovery because she noticed that I mentioned it throughout my speech. In addition to that, she told me that she observed people with faith as having a better outcome in their mental health recovery. First, I came from a family with Christian values. My faith in God started to get intense during the latter years of high school, which in my opinion, is when I started having symptoms. In my experience religion plays a major role in my mental health- its delusions, its coping skills, and in my recovery. In medical terms they call my religious rituals and delusions "religious preoccupation." Before I was diagnosed I was highly religious. In fact, I wanted to be an evangelist and to go to a Christian college. I would read my Bible for several hours a day throughout the day, listen to hymns, and meditate. Sometimes I would ignore people if they wanted my attention while I was meditating I was in such deep thought. Also, I...

The Path that God Chose for Me

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, the...

Lack of Trust: A Byproduct of My Mental Illness

In this entry, I'll share my experiences with Schizophrenia in regards to feeling lack of trust in others, paranoia, and isolation.... I remember my many episodes with Schizophrenia where I felt uneasy because of lack of trust in others. In the past, isolation was a giant bullying me around. Sometimes my mind would take me to a place of fear, hurt, and an unsettling spirit, which started with what seemed like a strange look, or a different feeling around an individual, when in reality it was another symptom of my undiagnosed illness- paranoia. My paranoia was rampant and dictated my life prior to experiencing a crisis, which led me to jail and into forced treatment and to receive an official diagnosis of Schizophrenia in 2007. In other words, my illness created enemies in my mind. For instance, I once believed my favorite kin was against me and I felt like she wanted me to fail, and I eventually thought she was conspiring to harm me. However, she never said anything to imply these ...