Schizophrenia: Challenging the Illness
Pat Deegan, a person who experiences schizophrenia and who also happens to have a Ph.D. in Psychology, is an inspiration to me. When I began my journey to recovery several years ago, her idea of the stages of recovery really moved me. She likened it to the petals on a flower and how at the beginning stages, petals are all over the place and detached from the flower like parts of a person’s identity, and then later the petals get reattached and the flower looks like a flower again.
One of the stages of recovery called “Learning to Challenge the Disabling Power of the Illness” really spoke to me. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1994, right after I had graduated from high school and had gone off to college. I had even written a book during my teen years. However, at the time I was diagnosed I had tried to end my life by overdosing on pills and also cutting on my wrists. I was overwhelmed by the illness, and I was awash in the power of its hold on my mind and my spirit.
I had always been an achiever. I attended a private school in sixth grade to my senior year in high school, and I did very well. I had always wanted to help others and I was pretty much known for things I did for others. I even had a book contract when I was fifteen years old with a publisher in Nashville, TN. I was on my way to doing more and more great things.
However, during my teen years, I started feeling depressed. I became filled with grief and shame and anger. I hated mysel...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Rebecca Lyn Phillips Tags: Antipsychotic Personal Schizophrenia auditory hallucination Delusions Paranoia Psychosis Source Type: blogs
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