Living With Schizophrenia 1
I lived for 18 years without knowing the diagnosis of schizophrenia was on my medical file at the time. By the 18th year, I was given a clean bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS but it was quite a journey!
For 14 years out of those 18 years, before I met Zoe, I lived alone with mental illness. Reflecting back, I have the following observations on living with schizophrenia:
#1 Electronic equipment got ‘spoilt’ at unnatural frequencies around me. A stereo set which was no longer working worked when my sister took it home with her. Could it be that my mind was ‘jumbled’ and did not operate these things properly?
#2 Onset of psychosis usually followed after intense mental activity.
#3 I seemed to have an ‘inability’ to plan and keep priorities.
#4 I was easily distracted, taking extreme risk by leaving my London flat in the care of a teenager and drove to Copenhagen from London. I fortunately returned to a secured property 4 days later.
#5 Sometimes I would hallucinate again following intense mental activity and stressful times.
#6 As a child I consumed books and newspaper like bread. However, this was now a big challenge. I could not read further than a few pages and I never finished books. This was frustrating because I kept on buying books and never read them even though I had every intention to do so.
#7 I was always losing things. Keys, phone, train tickets. This happened so frequently. My mind was ‘forgetful’ as to keeping things safe.
What has been your experience with living with Schizophrenia? Please share your observations with a comment.
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