She shares, “My diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder, which means I experience symptoms of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. My first episode occurred at work so everyone knew I was mentally ill. I used the approach of educating my coworkers. No one showed any stigma toward me.
“When I had to go on long-term disability, I felt I had no reason to continue living. I had already achieved everything I wanted in my career and in my social life. I thought there was no hope and gained 152 lbs while taking an antipsychotic medication. I didn’t care about myself, what I looked like, whether I lived or died. The first year I was here I was hospitalized eight months; the next year nine months. I had a year and a half of shock treatments and ended up living in a group home.
“But they took me off this medication and I lost some weight. Then they told me they were going to put me back on it. I said only if one of the major focuses of my treatment was weight control. I started exercising and joined Weight Watchers. I lost a total of 126 lbs, 91.5 of it while being on the same med I gained it on. I now live in a townhouse bordering a lake with walking paths all around. I give presentations for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), quilt, cook, and feel I have a worthwhile life.
“My major demon has been psychosis throughout my illness. I experience hallucinations of all five senses, suffer terrible paranoia and I am cursed with persecutory delusions. To deal with the persecutory delusions, I am training my own Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD). She has already defeated three 'people' that used to live with me in my house. Training a PSD is a great challenge but definitely worth the reward.
“In the DBT Skills Training & BPD folder on the Bipolar Complications Forum, I started a thread called ‘Coping Skill for Episodes’. It provides coping skills to prevent episodes and specific skills for dealing with mania, depression, and psychosis. I found using these skills minimizes my symptoms. I am trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Recovery, Inc., tools, Taking Charge, and Stress Management techniques.
“My goal is to teach coping skills to members in need. I host the Bipolar Complications Forum, as well as the Needs Support and Sharing Coping Skills folders on the Main Forum. I oversee a very active Healthy Living folder on the Bipolar Bar & Grill. I try to encourage our members to choose healthy life styles. The statistics show that people with mental illness die 25 years earlier than those who don’t. I say we beat these statistics. Join us in the Healthy Living folder. We encourage and support each to make lasting changes.”
