Schizophrenia stories (A compilation)

In this brief article, we will be discussing schizophrenia stories, the life of schizophrenia stories, how affected people deal with their symptoms in schizophrenia stories, and more information about schizophrenia stories.

Different schizophrenia stories

The following are the different schizophrenia stories of people who have this kind of psychological disorder:

My experience of living with schizophrenia during lockdown the schizophrenia story

Antonio’s Story

The pandemic we find ourselves in today has been an event that started off as excessively difficult to cope with. Antonio remembers as a kid being grounded and he never did imagine a whole country being grounded. 

Antonio remembers when his parents would ask him (why don’t you spend more time at home?)  now they ask him, (why don’t you go out for a walk?). When he thinks about it, the shift in attitudes is quite interesting and at times quite amusing.

Initially, Antonio was quite down and demotivated at the announcement of lockdown. He did not want to communicate with anyone, he was annoyed everything he had planned ended up being cancelled or postponed, and generally, he felt really lost. 

As a person who lives with schizophrenia, Antonio used to isolate himself and take himself away from society. It might have been easier to go back to that route because of lockdown at this time.

However, nothing worthwhile comes easy and that is simply how Antonio worked it out in this time. A challenge can be positive for now. 

Coming out of your comfort zone can have its perks in life. Trying something new that you may have not had the time to try before, may just unlock a skill you were never aware of before in your life. 

In these circumstances, time is not an excuse for him. A schedule is mandatory in life.

Furthermore, living with this psychological disorder, along with being on lockdown can trigger memories of being in hospital, on section. So, in this case, it really does help to alternate the environment as much as possible in life. 

This could really be the way he communicates with friends which is a phone call that might get too repetitive, instead, sometimes he tries a video call. If Antonio cannot get through with a video call, then a gaming chat room it is.

Do not fall into consistent repetitiveness right now. It really is a great time to discover avenues right now. 

That comes along with how Antonio then stays connected with friends. As he mentioned, a phone call is sweet and simple. 

When you are living with this psychological disorder, in the care of someone else, a simple or basic routine is what you are made to get used to in life. They tell him they are not able to achieve much or do much where they make them think they withhold too many barriers. 

Antonio completely rebukes it. He can still get up to as much as everyone else in the world. 

It’s challenging but it’s the stigma that limits them So, this is how Antonio is getting through lockdown. 

Although Antonio’s mental strength is not the best, practice makes perfect. Every morning, he brushes his teeth, he takes a shower, he has breakfast and then he gets dressed. 

Dressed as if Antonio was going out because it is easy to fall into the habit of staying in your pyjamas. For himself, he tries simply to maintain his self-esteem. 

Antonio goes for walk with his dog, he reads a book. Now, he is a Muslim therefore, he prays five times a day. So just after reading his book, he goes along to pray. 

As a note, staying committed to prayer in these circumstances has been extremely valuable in Antonio’s life. Next, he will have some leisure hours. 

This may consist of a series, a movie, or a documentary in Antonio’s spare time. He does like to learn new skills and expand his general knowledge and therefore, he tries to focus more on documentaries and DIYs. 

It is important not to overwhelm himself. Antonio now likes to keep his mum company in the kitchen while she begins to prepare dinner. 

It really is nice connecting with his family. The evening is a bit of a freestyle in his spare time.

At the start of this, he mentioned the shifts in attitudes. That was not only of others but of Antonio himself too. I also mentioned adaptation. 

On a normal day, Antonio would have been the kind of extrovert that would spend the majority of his day outside. Yet now he has learnt to appreciate the 24 hours in a day much more.

 Antonio has been able to really connect with his family. And lastly, he has been able to develop some unique skills in his time.

So, in a nutshell, yes lockdown is quite detrimental however there is always a way around situations and there is always a way of switching a situation from negative to positive in life. It just takes time and we have a lot of it right now. 

One thing on Antonio’s lockdown bucket list is creating an inventive TikTok.

There needs to be more acceptance of schizophrenia story

John

Some of the misconceptions about John and others with his diagnosis are that they’re dangerous or unpredictable and to be given a wide berth. His diagnosis is schizophrenia. 

John had four catastrophic breakdowns in his lifetime and three of these were so severe that he was sectioned under the mental health act. However, for some 12 years during the intervening period of his 3rd and 4th breakdown, he was largely mentally healthy, engaging in relationships and work.

John kept quiet about his diagnosis at work for fear of discrimination and he just wanted his colleagues to see him as another normal human being. He finds it hard to talk about his diagnosis, he doesn’t typically refer to it due to the stigma around it which he feels is still very much present. 

Despite some good campaigning work during the last few years, John thinks there is still some way to go. Schizophrenia is complicated for most people. 

Some view it as a syndrome or a collection of mental health illness all bundled up as one as perceived by most people. Some argue there is a genetic component to it and others say it may be due to the environment where a person has experienced significant trauma in early life in the affected person. 

John has been left shocked after a period of being unwell as it can creep up without him noticing so he has to stay vigilant. To help with this, he practices mindfulness, observing his thoughts.

In the past, John’s diagnosis has made him feel worthless. He lost confidence and found himself stuck in a quandary wondering what to do but he got the right combination of help and treatment so was able to pick himself back up. 

John is still reluctant to engage in conversations around mental health for fear of exposing himself and certainly wouldn’t introduce himself to a stranger as having experienced this psychological disorder until he had built up a relationship with them or felt he was on sure ground. Sensationalist articles in the media about this psychological disorder haven’t helped his cause either.

Rather than the rabid, crazed and out of control portrayal, most people with experience of this psychological disorder are actually withdrawn when they are unwell, frightened of going outside and do not reach out to others in life. There is a big risk of suicide with this diagnosis in one’s life.

John doesn’t fit the stereotype. He cooks and cleans for himself, works part-time and he also volunteers at a community hub which he finds very rewarding and they really value his contribution. 

John has a strong network of support, he reads a lot, watches movies and likes to be active, as exercise improves brain chemistry and mood. Previously, he has worked at quite a senior level, travelled internationally and managed six-figure budgets. 

John has been in serious relationships where the longest was for five years and though it took a while for him to share his diagnosis in all the relationships he has been in his partners have been understanding and supportive. Though he has been quite unwell in the past, he is engaged fully with life.

John hopes by sharing his story the conversation can shift and move towards more acceptance and less stigma. He hopes people can understand they all get unwell at various times in life and that those who experience mental health complications are just like everyone else and they are not oddities or strange or a group to be wary of but individuals that just need some understanding and support. 

John has a lot to look forward to and think the future is bright. He is happy, settled and optimistic. 

John hopes that this may continue.

See the Bigger Picture – Antonio’s Schizophrenia Story

People put down your capabilities and say you should do things which are easy but you don’t always have to take the easy route in life. There’s a limitation on who you can tell that you have schizophrenia, especially being from the BAME community as a group. 

Not everyone understands this psychological disorder or thinks it’s a real thing. Some people might think it means having a split personality but it’s not like that at all.

When Antonio was hospitalised, rumours started being spread about him. What he told one person changed as it was passed from person-to-person and before he knew it people thought he was dangerous. 

Antonio was a popular person but his big circle of friends started to become small as some of them said he had fallen off. There’s a black cloud surrounding this psychological disorder which follows him everywhere. 

You see people with mental health complications in strait jackets and doing violent things in movies, so people start to think you’re like that. Others think they use their diagnosis as a way of avoiding accountability in life. 

If everyone had a choice, no one would choose to feel or act as if they had a mental health complication so it’s just not true in most people. Everyone has mental health and it’s just some people have poorer mental health than others in the world. 

What’s happened to Antonio could occur to anyone. He began to hallucinate. 

Antonio was hearing voices and he was always paranoid people were looking at him. The voices told him people were talking about him. 

When Antonio heard those voices, he tried to challenge them, denying what they were telling me but they were too overpowering for him. When you hear voices, it makes you feel bad about yourself and he was upset with himself, not other people, and he never wanted to hurt anyone. 

Antonio felt so bad about himself that it consumed him and he didn’t even think about other people. The voices stress you out and when other people spread rumours, it adds to that stress for him. 

Antonio was fighting a war in his own head. It was against him, not other people, and he was trying to fight it alone.

Antonio began to learn how to recognise the voices, how to challenge them, and then he began to understand and become more aware of them. He tries to distract himself when he hears them now by listening to music, doing mindfulness and putting himself in a happy place. 

If Antonio gives himself too much space to think and ruminate the voices become stronger. If he feels pressured or things get too much, he puts his headphones in and listens to the UK top charts which helps to slow down his thoughts and block out the voices.

Antonio loses trust in himself every day. Every day, he has to tell himself he can trust his mind. I used to have this idea that because he has a mental health complication, he should limit himself. 

Antonio created a barrier but others helped to build it around him at that time. He likes to challenge himself because it’s only when you come out of your comfort zone that you began to grow.

It hasn’t been easy for Antonio’s life. He had to start university twice now because of his mental health at that time. 

When Antonio returned, his head was saying you’re not ready so he had to push himself to take the next step. He wanted to stay in his bubble but he trusted his mind and now he has broken free at that time.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have discussed schizophrenia stories, the life of schizophrenia stories, how affected people deal with their symptoms in schizophrenia stories, and more information about schizophrenia stories.

If you have any questions about schizophrenia stories, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

FAQs: schizophrenia stories

Citations

Time to change. My experience of living with schizophrenia during lockdown.

Time to change. See the Bigger Picture – Antonio’s Story.

Time to change. There needs to be more acceptance of schizophrenia.