Have you ever known
someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her
life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing
them? You may provide pseudo names to protect their identity.
Joe* is a good friend of mine I met about 3 years ago. At the time he was dating one of my best friends. My first impression of him was that he was a very sweet, normal kind of guy and he seemed like a very caring person. As the months passed I started to learn more about Joe. He told me he had anxiety issues, and that he has to take medication on a daily basis for him not to freak out. In public he feels uncomfortable, like he is suffocated by other people. The medication helps him to tolerate this a little bit but it is still there most of the time. He hates change and meeting other people because it makes him feel very uncomfortable. He mostly stays home and reads or draws. But he likes it that way. As the years went by he started getting a little better, until one day he got mugged outside his house, and he got hit in the head numerous times. This completely changed his world. He got worse and worse every day, and he knew it had to be more than anxiety. After a couple months of tests and going to rehabilitation to figure out what is wrong, the doctors couldn't really figure out the problem. One night he started feeling worse, and he started sleepwalking, and hearing things. Next thing you know, the doctors finally diagnosed him with schizophrenia. He was terrified of these news. He started hearing things, seeing things. He tells me every day how terrified he is of these things. He hasn't come out of his house, he can't hold a job, and he can't live a normal life. He has to live off disability because it is impossible for him to work. He also has to be on medication to help him control his hallucinations. Joe is still a very sweet person, despite of all the bad things that has been happening to him. He is truly a strong person for having to deal with all of that. I have learned that this mental illness consumes people and it is truly terrifying. It takes a strong person to have to deal with this every day. I know that doctors haven't found a cure for it as well. The medication is just to diminish the symptoms. I hope one day they will find a way to cure him of this terrible mental illness.
* pseudo name used
