Here’s a link that I wrote for NAMI right before the pandemic started. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/January-2020/Coping-with-Schizoaffective-Disorder
I have not helped others as I planned too. I was relatively healthy during the pandemic but like everyone else had anxiety and trauma.
I still feel the same way that ‘what if’ mentalities are counterproductive for people with mental illness. Also, I’m lucky my schizoaffective disorder is manageable with the right meds and a healthy lifestyle.
I’m typing this up on my iPhone, so I’ll keep this quick. I’ll make a list of how I’m different because of my mental illness.
- At 17, my dreams of being a really good skateboarder got shattered. In two months, I went from weighing 135 to 200. I was never consistent enough to be sponsored, but every kid has a dream. I still enjoy skating but never skated at an advanced level again.
- My future looked gloomy. My Dad is an academic doctor and my mom is a retired teacher. They had resources and love to get me through my ordeal, but at the time it was unknown how serious my illness was. I took an IQ test to see if I’d do well in college or not.
- Starting a career as a librarian and moving to NYC was questioned, whether I’d succeed or not.
- Recovery time takes longer than the episodes. My last episode in the Fall of 2016 lasted three months, but I was in a depressive fog for at least a year after that.
- Lastly, I encounter people with mental health problems on the streets and at work without being able to help them. People need family support or at least a network to help cope. It’s a problem larger than myself, having a month highlighting this can at least get people thinking.
