Schizophrenia As I Live It (audio)
I discuss navigating the labyrinth of paranoid schizophrenia as a personal and Informative journey.
I'm Diana Dirkby, and I'm living with paranoid schizophrenia. In this podcast, I'll open up about my experiences with this complex brain disorder while also providing a comprehensive overview of schizophrenia itself. Despite sharing common symptoms, each individual's journey with schizophrenia is unique. We all seek tools and strategies to manage our symptoms within the context of our unique lives.
As mental health consumers, we are responsible for sharing our experiences openly and honestly. By doing so, we can help combat the stigma associated with schizophrenia. We can empower listeners to understand what psychosis truly feels like, dispelling the fear and misconceptions that often surround it. While a schizophrenic episode can be an intense and overwhelming experience, it's important to remember that the person experiencing it is usually not a threat to others.
Beyond my experiences with schizophrenia, I'll also share aspects of my life that transcend my mental health condition. This serves as a reminder that mental health consumers are multifaceted individuals, not defined solely by their diagnoses.
My fiction novel, "The Overlife: A Tale of Schizophrenia," is based on a deeply personal exploration of my own experiences and those of my mother. It's available as a Kindle and paperback book (visit https://www.amazon.com/author/diana_dirkby or search for "Diana Dirkby" on Amazon). An audiobook version will be released soon. For more information, please visit my website: https://overliveschizophrenia.com/.
Part 1 of this podcast aired during the prepublication phase of my novel. Now the book has appeared, Part 2 assumes you have access to it. You can still follow along without having read it. However, reading the book will help you understand and appreciate my podcast.
Together, we can break down barriers and promote open conversations about mental health. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
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Schizophrenia As I Live It (audio)
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
As Diana Dirkby, I've walked through the shadowed valleys of paranoid schizophrenia and emerged into the light of understanding and advocacy. May, as Mental Health Awareness Month, offers a poignant backdrop to my candid narrative, where I peel back the layers of stigma and reveal the daily triumphs over the unseen battles within. Join me for a deeply personal journey that honors the history of mental health observance, champions the efforts of NAMI's "Take the Moment" campaign, and extends an empathetic hand to those wrestling with their own mental health challenges.
Embarking on a heartfelt exploration, I reflect on not just my own experiences, but also on the legacy of my mother's struggles with the lack of acceptance she faced. This episode isn't just a conversation—it's an avenue to amplify the voices of those who often feel unheard. I intertwine the power of relationships and the significance of understanding as we navigate life with mental health conditions. With an invitation to explore my upcoming novel, "Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies," we address the complexities of mental health embedded within the intricate tapestry of family dynamics. Here's to a session that informs, inspires, and invigorates the spirit of inclusivity and support for all.
#mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #schizophrenia #paranoidschizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalillness #psychosis #depressionsawareness #fictionwriting #family #relationships #nomorestigma #fightthestigmaofmentalillness #letstalk #lookafteryourself #schizophreniaawareness #mentalillnessrecovery #mentalillnesstreatment #motherdaughter #brainhealth
Pastime With Good Company by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Pastime With Good Company, composed by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company
Hello, my name is Diana Dirkby and I live with paranoid schizophrenia. You are listening to my podcast, "Schizophrenia as I Live it. Today I want to talk about May, this month which marks Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in May in the United States since 1949. It is celebrated through media, local events and film screenings. Mental Health America started Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949.
Diana Dirkby:NAMI, which stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, posts that May is Mental Health Awareness Month on its website. Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Throughout the month, NAMI actively participates in this national movement, which is dedicated to eradicating stigma, extending support, fostering public education and advocating for policies prioritizing the well-being of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, invites you to "take the moment. This year, NAMI is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with the "Take the Moment campaign. They encourage you to join them in fostering open dialogues and cultivating empathy and understanding. They also urge you to share their resources to support individuals and families on their journey toward mental wellness. They shine a spotlight on NAMI's array of signature programs, including NAMI Basics, NAMI Family to Family, NAMI Family and Friends, NAMI Homefront, NAMI In Our Voice, NAMI Peer-to-Peer NAMI Support Groups, groups and their invaluable NAMI Helpline, which is a free, nationwide peer support service providing information, resource, referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. This campaign powerfully advocates for the importance of destigmatizing mental health by normalizing the practice of taking moments to prioritize mental health care without guilt or shame. By participating in the "Take the Moment campaign, you are supporting yourself and your loved ones and contributing to a more significant movement that is changing how society views mental health.
Diana Dirkby:NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, also invites you to download their toolkit. This toolkit was created to support NAMI state organizations, NAMI affiliates, partners and ambassadors in efforts to promote Mental Health Awareness Month. Join them, take the moment and make a difference together. Download your toolkit for more insights on this campaign, downloadable graphics and more. Nami is not the only mental health advocacy group using May to further understanding of those living with mental illness and brain disorders. Two other examples are Bring Change to Mind See their website at bringchanget2mindorg. org and there the two is the number two and not the word T-O and the Schizophrenia and Psychosis Action Alliance. See their website, sczaction. org. You can also track them and NAMI down on social media by searching for them by name.
Diana Dirkby:As someone living with paranoid schizophrenia, one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses, or, as some prefer, brain disorders, to have a month highlighting what can be done to help people like me achieve better mental health and be more accepted socially is very encouraging. The symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia are not to be feared but to be understood if we are to know how to confront them as mental health consumers or caregivers when they occur. The mental health advocacy groups I have mentioned have many years of experience observing the plight of mental health consumers in the USA. They all provide good advice about what to do if someone you know has a mental health emergency. They also offer advice for fostering trust and friendship during periods of better mental health. I write in my blog posts and talk in my podcast about some of my personal experiences. See also my novel, "he Overlife A Tale of Schizophrenia, available from amazon. com as a paperback, a Kindle book and an audio book, as well as in paperback form directly from my website, overliveschizophrenia. com.
Diana Dirkby:My mother lived with paranoid schizophrenia but never admitted she had a mental illness. This refusal is akin to anosognosia. Anosognosia is a neurological condition in which the patient is unaware of their neurological deficit or psychiatric condition. Growing up with her, I witnessed the misunderstandings and heartbreaks that resulted from my mother's lack of acceptance that she lived with a mental illness and the rejection she often faced as soon as someone became aware she had mental health issues. In my case, despite, in retrospect, the fact that I lived with schizophrenia at least since my 20s, I was misdiagnosed for many years by doctors who opted for depression rather than paranoid schizophrenia. It was like enforced anosognosia. When I was finally correctly diagnosed as living with paranoid schizophrenia and given medication that helped my symptoms, all I felt was relief, not shame. By then I was married to my spouse, who is an excellent caregiver, but estranged from my immediate family and some of my close friends, who feared my psychiatric condition would threaten the lifestyle they enjoy.
Diana Dirkby:The stigma of mental illness is powerful and one of the conditions most vilified is schizophrenia. Those exercising stigma no longer have the excuse that not enough is known about mental illness for them to become well-informed. There are many scientific works and easily readable information about mental illness, including schizophrenia, for the non-expert. I have been struck by how some people who should know me well enough to appreciate my overall self once they know I live with schizophrenia, run away from me in fear of having to adapt their lifestyles. If they try to understand me, I am not afraid to discuss my schizophrenia, but they are.
Diana Dirkby:During Mental Health Awareness Month, mental health advocacy groups like NAMI focus in their online information on first steps for those who genuinely want to maintain a relationship with someone living with a mental illness. This information includes what to do if someone has a mental health emergency. In my case, the friends and family who rejected me didn't even seek such advice. On the positive side, my spouse, a number of my relatives and many friends are taking the journey with me as I learn to manage my schizophrenia symptoms and feel compelled to share my experiences with others. Remember there are many more aspects to a consumer of mental health than their diagnosis. I try to bring that out too, as I engage on social media about topics other than mental illness. My forthcoming novel features a heroine with schizophrenia, but the basic theme is sibling abuse. That novel is entitled "Three Kidnapped, three Siblings, three Furies, and will appear soon. Thank you for listening.