A history

hey @unreal

wow. what a journey you've gone through. you've shown so much strength, and i can see that you've learnt so much in the process.

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@unreal wrote:

“[At other times the patient may find it difficult to describe very bizarre thoughts and feelings or may be embarrassed by them and not want to reveal them. Psychotic thinking can be very complex and difficult to explain to a person who has not experienced it themselves.]”

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i haven't experienced psychotic thinking myself, but this is something i always try to keep in the back of my mind - i imagine it's really isolating and tough when your reality is different to others, but i'm really glad you've been able to seek support and share your lived experience with the community. thank you for being here 💙

p.s. i've had to edit parts of your post and add some spoiler tags as some of the details shared around drug use, assaults, etc., can be quite triggering for vulnerable members. if you have any questions about the edits, feel free to reach out.

look forward to seeing you around the forums 😊

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Hello @unreal and welcome.

You seem to have put a lot of time and effort into piecing together your story.

You say "Psychotic thinking can be very complex and difficult to explain to a person who has not experienced it themselves." I have experienced it. Some of your story resonates with my memories of the early days of my illness.

You're among friends here.

How are you coping at the moment? Do you have ongoing supports - a mental health team, family and friends?

These days I'm told I'm bipolar not schizophrenic but in the early years there probably wasn't much difference, and a gp continued to think I was schizophrenic. I've been with the same psychiatrist and medication for years. I haven't had much luck with psychologists and am currently seeing a counsellor with a social work background.

I'll tag @RiverSeal, a peer worker here with lived experience.

Hope you have a great day! It's a big step to reach out for the first time. Take care

no worries at all! there are a lot of details in the post so if you do feel that they identify you - please let us know so we can edit things out to keep you safe @unreal

sorry to hear that they misdiagnosed you at the start, it sucks that they didn't pay close enough attention at the time but i'm glad you got through it. if anything, that shows a lot of resilience already.

i look forward to hearing more about your recent MH supports 😊

I have had a lot of diagnostic categories pinned on my family @unreal so have been on a very long journey carefully researching and learning to look deeply and read between the lines. Yes, looking at files can be important. They are less keen to label me, ( though that can depend, so I am no longer taking any of it as gospel. I am now over the whole concept of the DSM. We can argybargy about bibles til the cows come home. I use the words as they fit, but don’t believe in the scientific integrity of some of the.., cough, cough… practitioners. I have a few anecdotes.

Just sending a cheerio.

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I believe one's journey is ongoing. Feel free to share what you feel comfortable with (in line with community guidelines of course) @unreal 🙂

Please tag me in as I'd love to read along.

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It may be helpful to share chunks at a time with subheadings? @unreal

It will help the community digest it and we can also support with ensuring it meets guidelines.

I'm really interested in your story. I think it is so valulable to have. It's like the 'untold' story.

And yes, from your other post, I did recognise that it was the 'medical' world's view and your own perspective.

From your post when you shared that your parents took you to hospital and visited you, I thought they were heavily invested.

I'm sorry to hear that you don't have the best relationship with them. @unreal

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