Overcoming Schizophrenia

I'm in a good space in my recovery and I want you to unlock your power to get the recovery results you desire, too. In this blog article, I'll identify strategies I've personally exercised to maximize my health plan. We will reexamine the definition of recovery which is forever evolving for us. We'll discuss specific tactics to master resiliency and execute your power to take control of symptoms and your well-being.   Living with a mental health diagnosis can be extremely stressful if left unaddressed. Symptoms of schizophrenia range from signature signs and issues with seeing and hearing people that others do not. Severe paranoia such as being suspicious of loved ones and strangers without evidence or realistic demand. Other symptoms of schizophrenia are isolation, catatonia (being still, literally for extended periods of time), lack of awareness, confusion, lack of motivation and depression...  Recovery is striving for a fulfilling life through self-awareness and supp...

     Recovery is a skill. It is the practice of exercising our self-care routines and participating in supportive environments such as therapy, treatment programs and other wellness-oriented rituals like church. It is a lifestyle of intentional habits geared towards maintaining a healthier wellbeing. Consistently, striving to cope and control symptoms to maintain personal wellbeing.      How can an individual get on the recovery track? In my experience it requires different supports including family, community, and those hand-picked choices to be a part of your network. Also, being mindful of my needs.     My recovery requires constant self-analysis no matter how small or subtle. For me this self-awareness examines my sleeping habits or need for more sleep and recognizes the changes contributing to the shifts. Always mindful of whether I skipped a dose or not to explain changes. For example, lately, I've missed my doses of the mood stabilizer. I f...

 Defining Self-Stigma I define stigma as the universal unspoken code of discriminatory beliefs, misinformation, blame, and distain for us- people living with a mental health diagnosis. Examples of the stigma is undeniably found in routine discriminatory practices of disqualifying us in housing and objection to receiving different services and getting opportunities.  Also, ostracizing us in our communities and holding negative assumptions such as being prone to violence. Self-stigma are those negative beliefs turned inward but it goes deeper. It translates into the mindset of "I can'ts," and "I'll never be able to..." Being stuck in that mode of thinking. Gaining Acceptance My recovery foundation started at a psychiatric hospital in California. I was fortunate to have an enthusiastic doctor who believed recovery is possible. This made belief in myself attainable. Accepting my diagnosis became a lot easier when my doctor told me I can go back to school. I had ...

September 2013 is National Recovery Month... Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery for substance use and mental disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment and service providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.                                With proper care and treatment, between 70 and 90 percent of persons with mental illnesses experience a significant reduction of symptoms and an improved quality of life. (the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI) September 2013 also represents my five year anniversary for maintaining this bl...

I've been in recovery for over five years and have learned a lot about it along with my peers. To me, crucial steps to recovery are consistency, risk-taking, and trust. An individual must be willing to participate in their recovery and hold trust in their treatment team and treatment regimen- whatever that is. Before they get to a place of cooperation one must step outside of their comfort parameters trust their treatment team, and do something different to help themselves in recovery, and to also maintain that new lifestyle. For me, that was going to support groups. When I moved back to Atlanta I didn't have resources to engage in quality outpatient treatment programs, but I did have access to mental health care which I did take advantage of. I got involved in a patient assistance program by the pharmaceutical company and took part in the support groups led by my therapist in my local treatment center. I went there to 1) get out of my house, 2) socialize with people, and 3) ...

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 ...

People volunteer for different reasons; some have a disability, others may be retired or have extra time to commit to an organization. Whatever the reason, volunteering is a great opportunity to learn new skills and to network. In my experience with volunteering for diverse organizations I have learned how different organizations operate, network, and how they promote different programs. It is nice volunteering because you can set your own hours. Most of the time organizations are very flexible with you. Also, you learn new things. For example, with the organizations I have volunteered for I learned new tricks on Microsoft Office to create flyers and to use programs I was not familiar with. I am learning how to become incorporated, how to apply for grants, and even have the opportunity to set up a table with a non-profit organization event (Take Charge. Get Tested. Event, June 27, 2009). The things I am learning while volunteering could cost a lot of money if I were to have learned the...

First, I am not good at networking, however, volunteering for the HIV/AIDS non-profit organization is teaching me a lot. For instance, today we spoke with a few tenants within our building and discovered they were friends with a politician who we are trying to get their support from for our upcoming event. While another tenant gave us some really good contacts and was able to donate T-shirts for volunteers. This was a great experience. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone that I am working with has a sister who has schizophrenia. Schizophrenia affects people close to me too, besides family. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that 1 out of 5 American families are affected by mental illness. I was surprised to learn that someone that I work with has come into contact with the illness that I am trying to overcome, because schizophrenia affects only about one percent of the United States population. (Maybe ...

This week I started volunteering for a non-profit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness. I am interested in HIV/AIDS awareness because I believe it is a serious issue in America that needs more attention. I will be working with this organization for the summer. The other day I attended a town hall meeting that discussed safety and community involvement to decrease the selling of drugs in the business area. After the meeting the executive director and I handed out business cards and networked with participants. The executive director, who I will be closely working with this summer is going to educate me on how a non-profit organization operates, like an internship, and I will contribute to marketing needs and speaking engagements. I am very excited about this opportunity, and I got to thinking that I could start a non-profit organization or clubhouse that focuses on schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. ----------------------------------------------------------------------...