Living with schizoaffective disorder, or any other mental illness for that matter, is most likely a challenging thing. I know it has been for me. Maybe there are some people who feel completely accepting of their condition, completely at peace with their circumstances, and completely fulfilled in their life right from the get go. That is not the way it happened with me. It took years of struggle, anguish, ups and downs, trials and tribulations, to get to a place where I could say “I’m ok.”
Acceptance of the fact that I have a “mental illness,” which I think is a terrible term for it, did not come easy. I had to be beaten to the ground numerous times before I started to respect the illness as something real. Mental illness differs from physical illness in the fact that their are no diagnostic tools to measure it with. It is based on patient descriptions and doctor observations of symptoms. There are no blood tests as of yet that will show an imbalance of a chemical as an indicator of depression, or psychosis, for example. And as hard as it may be to diagnose, it is even harder to accept from the inside.
I am starting this blog as an outlet of expression for me, and as a way to reach people who may be affected by mental illness. It has been nearly a decade since my first hospitalization and diagnosis, and maybe by sharing my experiences of suffering, acceptance, and ultimately healing along my journey of recovery, I can lessen the burden on someone else. One of the most difficult aspects of schizoaffective disorder for me was the inability to relate to others. Hopefully by sharing my journey, others can relate to what I have been through, and find relevant information that may help them along their path.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best on your journey of recovery and healing. Remember to be forgiving of yourself and others, and to look for the good in a person or situation.
Be well,
Joshua
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you should write
more about this issue, it might not be a taboo subject but typically people don’t discuss such subjects. To the next! Cheers!!
Thank you for the feedback. Expect more posts to come!
Hi, I want to thank you for your well thought out description of what your battle with mental illness has been like. I happen to have a similar story or at the very least a similar perspective on the illness as you do. I have been resistant to taking medications for the entire 8 years that I’ve had this diagnosis because I feel that a lot of times the side effects are worse than the actual illness. We know that this is hardly the truth after seeing the detestation that these episodes can cause in people’s lives, but my health both physical and emotional are still so important to me. My question is, have you found anything that gives you hope for a less med approach to treating your illness? If so I would love to know more about what you consider to be worth trying in order to prevent recurrences of the illness and live a life that is as close to normal as possible.
Thanks,
Mike
Hello Mike,
Thank you for your comment! In answer to your question, I have been working with a Naturopathic Doctor for over two years who specializes in treating mental illness with homeopathy, with great success! I have been symptom, side-effect, and medication-free for 2 years, and am living a completely normal life. Here is his website: http://fountainheadclinic.com/. I wish you the best on your healing journey!
Regards,
Joshua
Hi Joshua!
Thank you for the link. Homeopathy is something that I have been interested in for s long time but anxious to make the switch. I know that there is a whole movement dedicated to people who do not feel that conventional psychiatry helps them. I will give them a call and see what it’s all about.
Thanks, all the best in good health!
Michael