Sunday 16 November 2014

So Long Schizophrenia! My Final Blog Post Here

I’ve come to a big decision regarding this blog. Over the last two and a half years, I have written many blog posts about schizophrenia, hospital stays and my battles with mental health problems in the past and I believe I’ve written all there is for me to write on these topics. So I’m closing this blog.

I will still keep it online for others in the hope that it could help more people, but I will no longer post on here. I want to move on from my diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and put it behind me. I believe this is the best way to move forward in life. Living in the past will only mess up my chances of a good future so I’m living in the here and now.

That said, I am still making steps to become a mental health support worker. Although I’m no longer living in the past, I still have got many experiences that I believe I could use to help people. I also still want to reduce the stigma around mental health so I will occasionally write about mental health matters on my other blog, found at http://thementalchristian.blogspot.co.uk and on my second Twitter account, @MentalChristian. Feel free to read the blog and follow me on that Twitter. However, on both of those, I don’t call myself schizophrenic. I mention that I have the diagnosis on the blog, but it’s no longer a label I associate myself with.

I am proud of things I have achieved through this blog. As I type this, I’ve just gone over 98,000 views and if I continue to receive the same amount of daily views, I will probably hit 100,000 views in the next two to three weeks. For a while, a Google search for ‘schizophrenia blog’ has shown my blog as the second option, behind Time to Change. I’ve also spoken on national radio four times, been published and made the front page of Huffington Post four times and been asked by three other media sources for comments. But this has only been achieved by ‘living in the past’, and I feel this is hampering my chances of a successful future.

I have also decided not to publish my memoir. There is a lot of darkness in it, and I feel it would be too difficult for my family to read. I don’t feel that there’s anything in it that others aren’t raising awareness of, and I think others are raising awareness far better than I ever have. I am working on a new book instead, about mental health, the Bible and Christianity. It’s only a short book, but I hope it will provide strength and encouragement to Christians who are struggling with their mental health and negative attitudes from others.

So this is it, the end of Schizophrenia Sucks. This blog has had highs and lows, but I am ending on a high. My mental health is the best it’s been all year and I am hopeful that the New Year will be the start of my journey back into full-time employment. I will continue to give updates on the new blog (which at the moment only has one post on it, but more will come soon) and am happy to interact with people on the new Twitter and blog. To those who have read this blog faithfully, I thank you for reading and commenting.

So goodbye, and best wishes to all!

Love Katy

Reminder:
New blog: http://thementalchristian.blogspot.co.uk
New Twitter: @MentalChristian

8 comments:

  1. Hello, I've never commented here before and I don't suffer from mental health issues. I came across your blog by mistake a while ago. I feel there is alot wrong with the mental health system along with poor attitudes to mental health, but your blog has been truly inspiring, enlightening and engaging. Once started I couldn't stop reading. I sincerely hope you can overcome any traumatic events in your life, and by writing about it, I'm sure has not only helped you, but sharing your experiences must have helped many others too. In my life, I have found those who have suffered greatly are usually the kindest, most compassionate and understanding people. You should be proud of yourself and I wish you the very best of luck for your future.

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    1. Hi,

      Thank you being so kind. I love it when people leave comments or send me emails telling me they've been helped by my blog so I'm trying to convince myself that I have helped some people. But I think I've written all I can on this topic, which is why I've decided to leave this blog. But I will keep it online, as I hope that more people can be helped by it.

      I also have found that those who have suffered the most are the kindest people too. I know that my experiences have made me a better person and I know the same is true of others too.

      Thanks again for your comment, best wishes to you.
      Katy

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  2. Well done you! I am glad you are moving on and leaving the label behind you. I wish you best luck for the future. Another Anon

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  3. Katy,

    I found your blog a week ago and have learned so much. Every chance I get I am back reading more. I can't thank you enough for your help. So glad that you are leaving this up. My son (40) was hospitalized this past July, so I am just learning.
    I love the way you write, you don't have to have a collage degree to understand and learn.
    I am so glad you are doing fine and leaving the labels behind. You are a gift from God !
    I will be following you on your new blog !

    Merry Christmas,




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    1. Sorry it's taken so long to reply! Your comment was lovely, thank you for writing it. And you're right, you don't need a degree or fancy education to understand, and importantly, listen. I've known some psychiatrists with numerous letters after their name who didn't do the most important thing in psychiatry: listen!

      I hope your son is doing better now, and that his difficulty was just a blip never to repeat itself. I hope to see you on my new blog :)

      Take care and thank you again for your comment!

      Happy Christmas and New Year!
      Katy

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  4. Your blog is amazingly poignant and insightful. However, I did hesitate after reading that you state you are NOT schizophrenic, rather you are Christian. Firstly I applaud the fact that you don't let a diagnosis be your defining characteristic. But to make the diagnosis in exclusion to Christianity is problematic. You're right, you are not a schizophrenic, you are a person who has had that diagnosis. At the same time a person can have a diagnosis of schizophrenia and still be a Christian. I worry that making the two characteristics mutually exclusive will cause other Christians who struggle with mental illness feel that there is shame or stigma and that they should feel the need to hide their diagnosis.

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    1. Hi,

      You are absolutely right. I have worded my desire to move on from my label of schizophrenia completely wrong. I didn't mean to say that Christians can't have schizophrenia, what I meant to say was that I don't want to associate myself with the schizophrenic label, full stop. Then, I wanted to say that I am a Christian, full stop. I didn't mean to imply that Christians can't get schizophrenia, but I can see how people can take what I had written to mean that. I have changed this blog post to try and reflect what you have said (it's the second paragraph, do you think this is better?)

      Also, I have changed the wording on my new blog in two places, the first one reads:

      According to psychiatrists, I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, but I don't allow that label to take over my life. I am a Christian and I happen to have a few mental health problems. Christians and non-Christians alike can suffer with mental health problems. I want to show others that mental health problems do not make you any less of a Christian! To contact me, email: katygraywrites@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter: @MentalChristian.

      And the second one reads:

      Officially, I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, but I don't allow that label to take over my life. I am a Christian and I happen to have a few mental health problems. Christians and non-Christians alike can suffer with mental health problems. I want to show others that mental health problems do not make you any less of a Christian! I write about mental health as well as Christianity as it is a topic close to the heart, seeing as I've spent nearly two of my twenty-six years in psychiatric hospitals. If you wish to contact me, email me at katygraywrites@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter: @MentalChristian.

      Do you think this is OK? I do value your opinion and I am so glad you pointed out that my wording was poor. Please let me know if what I have now put is better!

      Thank you for your comment, I really do appreciate it!

      Katy

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  5. in ur video u say a better name for pychosis is not evil but confused please explain how

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