I take medication to help control the symptoms of my schizophrenia, and it’s a suitable medication for me. However, it was a long road with a lot of support to reach where I am now. I had to pass through bad decisions about what I should take and unwelcome side effects. It even involved changing … Read more

When a mental health consumer is in crisis, sometimes others cannot understand that they can’t simply “snap out of it” and jump from their world into another. Typically, once your mental health crisis is evident to your family, friends, and others who encounter you, you are too far into a crisis to turn on a … Read more

There are mental advocacy organizations that provide online and in-person support groups. For example, NAMI (National Alliance On Mental Illness) provides support groups across the USA that are moderated by trained individuals. These support groups are for mental health consumers as well as their caregivers. I did not at first have a good relationship with … Read more

Most of you have probably been admonished for saying something politically incorrect without feeling it’s a big deal. There are so many ways to be labeled politically incorrect that the growing list of what we should and shouldn’t say may seem overwhelming. Although mental illnesses and brain disorders have always been present in my life, … Read more

Unfortunately, some family members and close friends can abandon the mental health consumer during a mental health crisis. Such people may offer nothing more than a request that the mental health consumer keeps away from them. My experience has taught me to let such people go and not pursue them with explanations that attempt to … Read more

It’s often overlooked that the caregivers of mental health consumers also need support. They have to negotiate caring for someone who needs a lot of understanding, time spent with them, and the stigma against mental illness. They may feel powerless in the face of symptoms they understand but cannot control. Some mental health advocacy groups … Read more

Today is Mother’s Day! Like me, my mother lived with schizophrenia. She was a wonderful mother despite this brain disorder, especially until we were pre-teens when her schizophrenia worsened. Despite this disability, she could not have been a better mother to me overall. I owe her a great deal. We both lived in Australia until … Read more

To quote from the website https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia of the American Psychiatric Association, schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects less than one percent of the U.S. population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking, and lack of motivation. However, with treatment, most symptoms of schizophrenia will greatly improve, … Read more

I have found that a pet can be a tremendous support when I feel alone and stressed. Their love is unconditional; all they ask is love and reasonable care in return. You may be able to get your pet registered as an emotional support animal, which has some advantages, for example, when you travel. If … Read more

A trigger automatically upsets or traumatizes a mental health consumer due to past trauma or their current mental health symptoms. Rather than the word “trigger,” which evokes “guns,” I prefer to use the expression “lights a match,” which I mean, of course, in a negative way. A match lights for many reasons, not all originating … Read more