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)
Words In The Ears Or Eyes On The Words?
Struggling to find the perfect way to consume books while managing the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia? Join me, Diana Dirkby, as I unravel the complexities of reading with visual and auditory hallucinations and why audiobooks have become my sanctuary. Discover my personal journey from battling the chaos of jumbled words on a page to finding comfort in the soothing cadence of a narrator's voice. Gain insight into how these auditory experiences provide a much-needed escape and allow me to stay connected to the stories I love, even when my symptoms are at their peak.
I also open up about my writing process, sharing how creating fiction remains a therapeutic outlet amidst the challenges of schizophrenia. Hear about the transformation of my novel "The Overlife: A Tale of Schizophrenia" into an engaging audiobook, and the meticulous selection of the perfect narrator to bring my story to life. Whether you’re managing similar symptoms or curious about the intersection of mental health and literature, this episode offers a heartfelt exploration of resilience, creativity, and the power of storytelling in all its forms.
#DianaDirkby #TheOverlife #A TaleofSchizophrenia #Schizophrenia #MentalIllness #FamilyDynamics #CaregiverBurden #Resilience #Hope #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthStigma #Strength #Love #Compassion #SecondChance #Transformation #Fiction #MentalHealthPortrayal #FamilyStruggles #EmotionalTurmoil #PoignantStory #GrippingNarrative #UnforgettableCharacters #MustReadBook #Amazon
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. Regular listeners will know that I have written two fiction novels recently. One has appeared and is entitled the Overlife A Tale of Schizophrenia, by Diana Dirkby. You can buy it from Amazon. com. The second book is about to appear and is entitled Three Kidnapped, hree Siblings, three Furies, by Diana Dirkby. The first book is available as a paperback, a Kindle book and an audiobook, for example on the app Audible. The same will be valid for the second book.
Diana Dirkby:That sent me to think about the following question: If I am struggling with my schizophrenia symptoms, is it easier to read a book or is it better to listen to an audiobook? By reading a book, I include reading an e-book. As I have described in earlier podcast episodes, I suffer from both auditory and visual hallucinations. When I am living with schizophrenia symptoms that are not under control, due perhaps to too much stress or a need for my medication to be adjusted, the auditory hallucinations are usually more scary than the visual ones. Paradoxically, if I'm trying to follow a book, I find it easier to listen to it as an audiobook than to read it on paper or an e-reader. The key reason for this difference is that my schizophrenia jumbles words on the page, and I describe what that's like for the character Sarah in my novel, he Overlife. It can become impossible to use my computer as the screen seems to melt in front of my eyes and the words melt with it. If I try to read a book, the words jump about the page i If I try to read a book, the words jump about the page and I can only make sense of them singly. Sometimes I only see the separated letters of the words and not the complete words. By contrast, during periods when I have auditory hallucinations, they usually last for a more limited time, anything from a few minutes to an hour, which is not the case with the visual problems. They can go on for a whole day.
Diana Dirkby:When the auditory hallucinations are resting, I can enjoy watching a movie, listening to music or hearing an audiobook. Part of that enjoyment is the relief of understanding the story or melody I hear. In other words, the quality of the experience is better because my auditory interpretation is perturbed overall, but I get some rest from the non-existent noise I hear and can even get engrossed in the pleasurable experience provided by a movie or audiobook. During periods when I am managing my schizophreniael wwW\, what do I prefer? The written word or listening to a story via audiobook? These are two very different experiences, both of which I find pleasurable, and I often buy the paperback or Kindle version and the audio version of a book I love.
Diana Dirkby:Reading is an intimate relationship between your imagination and the book. Listening to someone else read a book gives room for a different interpretation of the words than your own. You have invited the book's narrator into your private world and have the pleasure of sharing and listening to a book come to life through someone else's interpretation. To read, you must sit in a chair or lie in bed, and do only that. An audiobook enables you to do something other than focus just on the book while it is read. You may take a bath, for example, or a walk.
Diana Dirkby:You may ask if I have written two books recently, How was that possible? With schizophrenia, the answer is that I find writing more accessible than both reading and listening, even when I am ill. While writing, I control the words, whereas when I try to read, the words control me. My two recent books have been written during a p, which helps tremendously. I am always writing but timing a project like a book, I have to take into account my mental health.
Diana Dirkby:So what is best for you reading or listening?
Diana Dirkby:A few words about my experience making he Overlife into an audiobook.
Diana Dirkby:I made it by partnering with Amazon. Before beginning the project, they sent me a collection of short audio recordings of different voices and asked me to choose one for my book. As my book is set in Australia, I insisted on an Australian accent for my narrator. I am so glad I did. The narrator I chose is Wendy Momin, and she does a fabulous job. We worked together in that she recorded some chapters and then sent them to me so I could review them with the written book to check for errors. There was a lot of back and forth, but we worked well together. To my joy and excitement, endy made my book come to life and I experienced listening to the book through someone else's eyes who understood its goals. You can look at the audiobook on the Audible app and many other platforms. I'm looking forward to making my second book into an audiobook.
Diana Dirkby:Thank you for listening.