It is important to seek help when mental issues are getting out of hand. When I got to a point that was unmanageable my then partner asked me to get an opinion from a psychiatrist on what I was suffering from. I use the term suffering as that was obvious, I was suffering from mental issues. I went to a GP to get a referral to a psychiatrist and after a wait I could go and get a mental checkup.

When I went and had the check up the psychiatrist diagnosed me with schizophrenia, I told him he was wrong. He was understanding and said did I believe I could treat the condition myself? Also how would I go about doing that? I had no answer really. He prescribed me some medication anyway and gave me a script. All I really wanted was some relief and to end the agitation. When I took the medication it didn’t take long to feel relaxed and I lay down for a moment.

There was a wave of calm and the burning feeling in my brain was gone. I went for a walk and I felt relaxed for the first time in quite a while. That night I slept well for the first time in years. My whole life it was a battle to get to sleep. I spent a lot of my teenage years wandering around at night doing graffiti because I found it hard to sleep. If there was anything that really stood out for me from having the medication was the feeling of relief.

My Qigong trainer told me to stop taking the medication and initially I did only to hear a voice say quite coldly one evening “I have got you now”. I started taking them again and left my Qigong class for a decade as I felt I had failed for needing medication to keep functioning. Some time later I went back to Qigong and just kept my personal situation to myself. Some people feel that there is always another way out but schizophrenia is a permanent condition.

If you don’t treat it as quickly as possible you will eventually lose a lot of brain cells and continue to do so until you lose all connection to reality. The condition simply worsens over time. Luckily new generation medications can in most cases get rid of all symptoms and you can live a normal life. Clean living and staying active also helps. I stopped drinking alcohol and I don’t touch drugs. I prefer being in my control of my life and I am glad to no longer be suffering. Definitely get a referral and do it as fast as possible. It will change your life for the better.