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. So I no longer call myself schizophrenic (except to the DVLA and other organisations that I legally have to tell), instead, I call myself a Christian. 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.
Another reason for this decision is because I am am triggered too often by things on my current Twitter account. Muting certain people isn’t enough. I will keep checking my DMs on my current account, but not mentions. If you want to contact me, please email me at schizophrenicgb@gmail.com or on my new Twitter/blog.
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
Email address: schizophrenicgb@gmail.com
Katy Gray
I started suffering with the symptoms of schizophrenia at the age of 18, but it wasn't until I was 21 before I was diagnosed. My diagnosis was recently updated to paranoid schizophrenia, but I refuse to be known by a label. I am a person first and my illness last. I am always trying to break the stigma that surrounds mental health, schizophrenia in particular, and write as much as I can to try and achieve this.
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