Personality Disorders from personal experience
I am writing this from personal experience. This is hard to write but I am doing it for the sake of shedding some light on a much misunderstood series of conditions.
When I was first diagnosed with mental illness I was told I had schizophrenia. That was a very scary time for me and those close to me. I didn’t want to tell anyone. I wanted to run away and hide from this torment that was going on in my head. I was very paranoid, especially quite sadly of my Mum and she suffered at least as much as I did, partly because her mother had previously died from alzeihmer’s disease. Then I came along too sick to tell her what was really wrong despite always still loving her as a son does towards his Mum.
I now skip several years, about 20 in fact and many more difficulties to about age 38 when a major diagnosis review was done in hospital and post hospital treatment. Doctors to me still seem to be diagnosing me as I am a hard to put a definite diagnosis on. They say it’s NOT MY FAULT. If only they would realise how difficult that is on me! Doctors are now saying the original diagnosis was wrong and that for various reasons one of the combinded personality disorders is what I have. There are various phmaplets on various mental illnesses but doctorssay that we shouldn’t try to diagnose by reading a booklet. Doctors have spent many years at medical school and still can’t but definite diagnoses on some of my very real physical and mental illneses.
You may wondering why I am writing this. It’s to offer hope to other misunderstood and confused people like me. You may be wondering how to cope with your illness or your life and the hospitals and mental health clinic isn’t enough on it’s own. Some of the things when I feel like that that have helped me are getting help from groups like like some groups listed on the links page like The Rainbow Project, June O’Connor Center’s and programs run by Ruah Community Services like Urban Network. The Lorikeet Centre is another good one all here in Perth W.A. Your local community nurse or clinic should be able to put you in contact with some near you.
I also enjoy doing hobbies and acheiving realistic goals, not too high, not too low. Give yourself a goal and acheive it. Then another, acheive that one then another. Right now I’m making craft items and trying to sell them. If you are interested contact me on colourfuldave@gmail or phone me Perth time best around 9am weekdays on 1300 55 727 then say you want 08 9349 8275. I have hats, and am doing bags and decorated denim. Do what you can and give it a go at it, no matter what level. Don’t give up. God isn’t finished with you or your loved one yet. Colourful Dave. P.S. Just remember that I have occaisonal speech loss thought now from a pysical condtion called ahpasia so it’s best to use the National Relay Service first then give them my number like listed above. The area code is needed even if wring from Perth. Local area code cost call. For more information on my condition diagnosed first by a doctor see www.aphasia.org.au