I’m very happy that this blog has accumulated nearly 50 followers already, I hope you guys enjoy what I have to say from the perspective of a schizophrenic woman =)
I was diagnosed over 10 years ago with a long family history of schizophrenia, one of them being my father. It was early onset, likely brought on by traumatic events which has been theorized to play a part in early onset schizophrenia. The combined genetic+environmental risks sort of sealed my fate.
I am no longer taking antipsychotic medications but I have taken them. I relapsed after my refusal to continue taking them, could not graduate from high school, but eventually stabilized on my own, found my own unique ways of coping with schizophrenia and learned how to best avoid more episodes. I was homeless as a child, didn’t have a bed to sleep on until my mid teens, have dealt with a lot of abuse and violence, and have almost always lived in isolation. Life has improved drastically for me now that I’m in adulthood though. I live fairly independently, hold down a job, and am even on my way to college this fall to pursue my dream job.
Schizophrenia is no longer quite as severe for me but it’s always going to present challenges and added hurdles that others aren’t having to face. I always face the risk of relapsing again and hospitalization but as for now, I’m living a “normal” happy and healthy life with my siamese cat and boyfriend.
I hope my experiences with having had both severe and less severe periods with schizophrenia can be insightful to others and give them hope, hope that things will improve and you can still live a wonderful life given the disabilities and challenges you may have.
