Overcoming Schizophrenia

Michelle Obama said she had "low-grade depression." Is there a low-grade cancer? Low-grade eating disorder? My mother was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, and died with stage 4 cancer. I do not take any medical/mental health issue lightly.       Untreated diabetes, for example, can lead to significant risk factors including, heart disease and stroke, among several other health problems. Likewise, untreated mental illness can lead to death- self-harming and suicidal thoughts. As an individual in recovery with signs and symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, this particular phrase sounds like a scale that should not be applied to mental health.       Since 2007, I've been in recovery. And, since 2012, I've held the position of a peer counselor or Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), which is a Medicaid billable service in the state of Georgia. It is my job to motivate peers to stay hopeful about their recovery and to help them...

Despite the many deaths cancer takes each year, hope for recovery continues to play a role in the ongoing treatment and attitude of its victims and survivors. In fact, I have a close connection to the devastating toil breast cancer and other types of cancer has taken on my family. Although cancer and mental illness are very different I believe that same hopeful prognosis should be practiced for people diagnosed with mental illness, especially schizophrenia. It seems that nowadays treatment for mental illness can and does enable people to live a quality life. However, this message is not presented to the public. Instead, treatment for schizophrenia is rarely advertised, and thus, hope and life after diagnosis continues to be a myth to many. A couple of years ago a family member believed that there was no hope for people living with schizophrenia and shared his beliefs with a room full of trainees in the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. This training educates law enforcement on...

There is a major difference between gossiping about someone and discussing conditions and/or events within the family. Some people do not want to talk about mental illness because they do not understand it and do not think it is relevant, they are in denial, or they are embarrassed by it. The fact is schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that can have detrimental consequences if untreated. Furthermore, not discussing family history can be life threatening; ten percent of the people living schizophrenia will commit suicide. Schizophrenia can also lead a person to isolate themselves from people, not speak, eat, or not even take care of personal hygiene. Some illnesses are hereditary, or places family members at greater risk if there is some background, schizophrenia is one of these illnesses. Being aware means you are a step ahead, or proactive, and can look for signs. Shhhhhh or pretend like it does not exist? I say "Ouch," to that! Symptoms are not like ooooooh or psss...