Sunday 24 June 2012

J's Story: "In my mind I was being followed and hunted down".


My psychiatrist asked me: "Are you hearing voices?”.  My voices told me to say: "No".  I was deep into my first psychotic episode which I would describe as a living nightmare.  In my mind I was being followed and hunted down.  It was like living on the brink of insanity.  Things started to fall apart.

I had a very young child to support with my girlfriend, although I still lived at my flat alone. Sleep was a big problem as I was not getting any.  I could not switch off.  I used cannabis to try to help me to sleep.  I was not eating much at all, just a couple of slices of toast in the morning and water.  Having a major feeling that my job was ultimately important I would wake up with the alarm and really struggle, but always turn up for work.

I called my girlfriend who was no help and hit a low point.  I visited the National Gallery on a day off and viewed ‘Sunflowers’ by Vincent Van Gogh.  I remember wanting to cut it to pieces with some scissors thinking how impoverished he was and what he had been through and how much his work was now valued. 

I woke up after minimal rest the next morning, basically collapsing with exhaustion.

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