In the summer when was 17, I had a reactive psychosis. It was so intense that I went catatonic for a few days. I spent a month in hospital but recovered fairly quickly. In the autumn I went back to school and carried on with life as normal.
The doctors had said that it could well be a one-off, something that would never happen again. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
There were to be 10 more psychotic episodes. I had a few in my twenties, followed by a long calm period. Then, a post-partum psychosis at age 36. Followed by five psychotic episodes and hospitalizations.
To most people, including psychiatric professionals, my situation looked pretty grim. My family was told there was no hope of recovery. I did not accept that.
At the root of my psychoses, there were traumatic events, and I managed to find people who knew how to access and work through the overwhelmingly difficult memories that had caused my mind to break. It was not an easy process, but it taught me that healing from even the most difficult mental problems is indeed possible.
Today I have been free from my psychotic problems for nearly 10 years. I went through insanely chaotic and difficult times, but today that is just a memory, in the past. A normal, balanced life returned to me.
People who are given diagnoses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are too often told that they have a life-long illness with no chance of recovery. In my experience, recovery is possible. I hope my story can give hope and perhaps some assistance to anyone on this road of recovery, or to those who are helping a loved one on their journey to reclaim their life.