A Day in the Life

When a person becomes or has been seriously ill, it is, perhaps, a normal response for the person in question to ask, "why me?" Before the intrusion of such things in our lives, we probably, most of us, go around thinking "it'll never happen to me." I can honestly say that I was the same. The thought that one day I may become what is, somewhat inhumanely, referred to as "a schizophrenic", could not have been further from my mind. I suppose the thought of "losing your mind", so to speak, sometimes goes through the brains of most people, being, as it is, perhaps one of our deepest, darkest fears. But, it would appear, many of us dismiss the idea and we are unable to identify ourselves as ever being "one of them". Thus spring up all the old stereotypes of madness, perhaps the embodiment of our fears, the psychological projection of what secretly haunts us. But, to return to the original question of "why me?", I suppose it is...

So, after 126 chapters, this being the 127th, I have decided to call an end to entitling my posts "Dave's Progress". As the last chapter was a particularly positive one, suggesting that, if not entirely recovered, many of us at the Pathways Group are well into the process of recovery, I have made up my mind that this might be an appropriate place to end calling my posts by that particular name. Indeed, anyway, "recovery" to many is an ongoing process, not with any solid end goal. As many of us in the group have chronic conditions (i.e. they are treatable, but not curable), the suggestion that any of us are totally "recovered", including myself, is perhaps to misconstrue the concept of recovery. So, as an alcoholic might call themselves "a recovering alcoholic", so it is with us. Having said this, there are aims to the recovery process, such as being able to live a fulfilling and meaningful existence even without the complete abatement of sy...

After visiting the Pathways Group on Tuesday, I was somewhat overcome with a great feeling of positivity and hope for the future. Our little group, set up for those who have had some experience of psychosis, has now been running for around four years, and although there have been sad times, with the unfortunate loss of two of our members, the group has remained a steadfast resource for, I believe, all of us who take part in it. I almost cannot get over the continuing positive "vibes" which emanate from our little gathering, and indeed, it seems we have achieved quite a bit since its inception, including making a short film which was screened at our local museum, and recently developing our own website (see link below). The group, then, is not what you might expect from one designed to help those with perhaps the most severe and enduring of mental health conditions. Indeed, we seem to be forever having our confidence boosted by the staff who facilitate the group by them telli...