There is much confusion in the mental health field today. Some of it revolves around what recovery is. One idea is that recovery involves having a partial healing, with the ability to live a meaningful life on medications. The other, means total recovery, with no need of medications.
There are many blogs and websites available for those who accept the first description of recovery. My blog is to reach those who still have a glimmer of hope for an eventual total healing. My own experience with overcoming schizophrenia will be the subject of most of my posts. There seems to be a lack of others sharing their stories, which is a shame because I know many sufferers do finally and totally recover. It may be of interest that, although those who remain ill complain of the stigma towards them, we who find freedom also experience negative stigma (of a different kind). This can make us uncomfortable about speaking out.
If we try to help others overcome, we are told we are giving false hope. I've even had a health professional tell me that I either didn't have scizophrenia or wasn't healed. This attitude goes against a statement in a Schizophrenia Society booklet that says that the brain can recover even into the second or third decade of illness.
Although medications help alleviate our troubles, they don't heal - they are a bandaid only. Our psychiatrists hope that the medications given will give us the chance to work towards our own healing in time.
I hope you will continue to visit my blog, as I do my best to share with you all that I learned and put into practice to find my own healing.
Blessings,
Annie
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm studying Communication Design and I'd like to write (and a draw) a Comic Book/Graphic Novel about the experience of Schizophrenia as part of the course.
I studied Biomedical Science before and my dissertation was about schizophrenia susceptibility genes. I felt quite uncomfortable approaching this highly emotive subject in such a rational and clinical way, and without the consideration of the subjective experience or the social factors that affect it.
I'd really like to bridge some of the gaps between the scientific explanations, the subjective and emotional experiences and the economic, social political and perhaps even anthropological dimensions of the disease.
I was wondering if it would be possible to interview you over email?
My website is www.jessicaleach.co.uk and my email is jessicamleach@hotmail.co.uk.
Please get in touch!
Many thanks,
Jessica
Jessica, thanks for your interest in schizophrenia. At present my focus and time is taken up in working with those who have this very complex and debilitating illness.
DeleteMy suggestion is to order my book - through checking out my website mentioned on my blog. You will get many of your questions answered by my story and what I learned while overcoming the didease.