Overcoming Mental Illness: Personal Journey and Resilience
By a former patient with a variety of mental health conditions who shares their inspiring journey of recovery.
Introduction to Mental Illness
I've been dealing with various mental health conditions since I was 16 in 1982. Among them, bipolar disorder type 2 and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been longstanding challenges. Adding to the complexity, PTSD has also brought about social anxiety and paranoia, with bipolar disorder leading to cycling between depression and hypomania. I've only been hospitalized four times, focusing on both mania and depression. The longest stay was a week and a half after the loss of my entire family. While my struggles are significant, I know I'm not alone in this battle.
Overcoming PTSD and Bipolar Disorder
Until I received treatment around 20 years ago, at the age of 60, I struggled to cope with my symptoms. Through a 20-year journey of therapy, medication, and hard work, I have learned to manage my conditions, enabling me to live a nearly "normal" life. It's important to note that recovery from mental illness often takes time and effort, but there is life after diagnosis. It just requires a lot of work and determination.
Challenges and Triumphs
Over the past 30 years since age 15, I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 1 and 2, depression with psychotic features, schizophrenia, PTSD, anorexia, OCD, and DID, among other conditions. Hospitalization, involuntary treatment, and suicide attempts have been part of my journey, leaving physical and emotional scars. Despite these challenges, I am now in a position where I spend over 98% of my time outside psychiatric facilities, making significant progress in my life.
Today, I am back in college excelling academically, a devoted mother of a teenager, and a well-adjusted individual with friends who share my sense of humor. Although I still face occasional hospitalizations for dissociation and self-harm, I am able to live a productive and mainly joyful life.
My journey has taught me to be amazed at my own resilience and to embrace an optimistic and hopeful outlook on life. Finding humor in challenging situations has been a significant asset in my recovery.
Conclusion
Recovery from mental illness is a complex and often long journey, but it is a journey worth taking. This personal story hopes to inspire others facing similar struggles to believe in their own resilience and to seek help.