schizophrenia
Schizophrenia 101; look beyond the pop culture portrayals and learn the reality behind this oft-stigmatized mental illness.
Psyched Out
It took a while to begin to explain the weight of what was welling up and festering as it grew inside of me. It can be hard to relay the struggles of an ill-diagnosed or misdiagnosed mental illness to other people when everything on the outside is a typical life in their eyes. However, nothing was typical about the games my mind would play on me to make me feel as if everything was constant danger, and that I had never really escaped one of my biggest fears; losing the people I love due to ties with the military. With only four years of military experience and one tour in Afghanistan, it was hard to come back. Even though I was never engaged in actual warfare with the bombs and shootings laying a little outside the lines where I was stationed, there was not much solace that could be sought in the small clinic where we worked to return soldiers back ready to fight from what conditions had been ailing them. I never thought that once stepping on the plane headed back stateside that I would be carrying a burden with me over the next seven years. I was living a life with a misdiagnosed mental disorder, and it was seeking to sweep me from under my feet right in front of the people I loved the most with no reserve for the fears of my family, or the tugs of mental sanity I tried to keep peace with.
By Jacquelyn Richardson5 years ago in Psyche
Sticky Labels: A Short Story
This short story and analysis was originally written for my University dissertation. As I’ve now graduated, I wanted to do more with this piece than letting it sit idle in my writing folder. I am not an expert on mental health; reasoning for details included in the story can be found through the analysis underneath. Everyone’s experience is different, and I in no way mean to stereotype or insult a person who suffers from any sort of mental health condition.
By Jade Hadfield5 years ago in Psyche
Living With Schizophrenia
This post contains content that may be triggering to some. Hi friends, just seeking some advice and to hear if any of you have experienced anything similar. It’s a bit of a dark place for me that I’ve been in, in some ways and so here it goes.
By Jessica Wilson 5 years ago in Psyche
Rebirth
It’s been about a year since I’ve had to chew and swallow your bits and pieces. Every now and then I feel the after effects of the narcissistic abuse you've given to me, and sometimes it's as simple as me noticing someone with a full head of curly brown hair. The post trauma picks at my scabs and leaves them wide open and bloody, never fully healed. I’ve developed a refined acquired taste for buttered over-burnt edges and bitterness. The hostility turned into familiarity turned into clarity. I took the smell of salt water home with me after all the days I spent emptying my obsession into repression into depression. Anything you’ve ever touched has been burned because you won’t be here to touch any tangible material again. I still smell your breath the night you pushed me into traffic and dared me to move a muscle. Precariously, I tuck myself tightly into bed, just incase you pull the sheets out from under me. I've told you before; it's not a magic trick if I don't disappear.
By Nicole Cafarelli5 years ago in Psyche
She Is No Longer Herself
She sits in the chair in the dining room, so small and frail. I can't help but wonder what she is thinking about. Her eyes are red and swollen as she stares at the floor transfixed to one particular spot. She makes no movements for what seems to be hours. Almost as if she is hypnotized in a trance, I snap my fingers to see if she will come back to reality. Is she being haunted by the trauma of her past, or has she always been this way? I ask her what she is thinking so hard about and she replies with the same answer she always does, "NOTHING". I don't want to anger her by asking any further questions so I walk away and let her be.
By Joyel Joyel Kowalski5 years ago in Psyche
Blood and Chocolate
“Today is Friday the 30th, 2021. The time is 1:30AM. I’m detective James Marllow. Badge number 3580. Sitting with me is Eric Porter. Hello Mr. Porter. I ask that you acknowledge that the interview is being recorded and that you consent to the recording.”
By Shayla Beesley5 years ago in Psyche
