About Still Here

I remember hearing a 'joke' about schizophrenia a while back.

"You're never alone with schizophrenia."

It was true of me, I had a voice that didn't leave me alone for a year and I know it can also be true of other sufferers. However, not being alone doesn't mean you can't be lonely. Even with a myriad of voices, a sufferer can be so lonely.

I created Still Here to try and help those who are living with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses to feel less isolated. I also try and educate others about mental health and answer various questions. It started off as a magazine but now is a blog for people to find help and to share their story.

Why 'Still Here'?

The title has two meanings. For one, it means I'm still here, I'm still alive.

The second meaning relates to when mental illness is talked about and sufferers can sometimes be said to not be 'all there'. Even when a person is supposedly not 'all there' they are still there. Still here.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is often severe and debilitating. There are two types of symptoms of schizophrenia, positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms can be described as ‘things that are added to a person that shouldn’t be there’. These are things like hallucinations (such as hearing voices or seeing things that aren’t really there) and delusions (believing in something that isn’t real). Negative symptoms can be described as ‘things that are taken away from a person that should be there’. These are things like lack of motivation, low mood (depression) and social withdrawal. While there currently is no perfect cure for schizophrenia, there are various treatments for schizophrenia, such as medication and talking therapy.

Help for schizophrenia is usually found by visiting a doctor, but this can be a scary process. However, it is always best to see a doctor as soon as possible as, like any illness, the quicker it is dealt with, the better the outcome is. Whilst the prognosis of schizophrenia used to be very poor indeed, to the point where an individual was condemned to living out their life in an insane asylum, schizophrenia care has improved dramatically and sufferers can now live independently, raise a family and some are able to hold down jobs.

Why Create Still Here?

Since being diagnosed with schizophrenia, I developed a passion for writing. I loved writing articles about schizophrenia and mental health in general, and wanted to get them out to a large audience. I decided that creating something myself would be the best way of getting my articles out and finding others who would want to share their story.

I also love writing about all aspects of mental health, not just schizophrenia. Whilst it can be draining to write about mental health and schizophrenia all the time, I also find it rewarding when I receive feedback telling me that something I wrote was useful or interesting. Plus, as I hate having to hide my identity from those who know my diagnosis, and equally hate having to hide my diagnosis from those who know my identity, I want to try and wipe out stigma.

A common misconception about schizophrenia is that sufferers are violent. That is the part of stigma I would love to destroy. Whilst there is another common misconception that people with schizophrenia have multiple personalities, I am not as concerned about that side of stigma. It is being seen as violent when I am anything but violent that I would hate more!

How Do I Read the Articles?

To read my articles, click on the Katy's Articles tab and click on the article you would find interesting. To read guest articles, click on the Guest Articles tab and choose whose story you would like to read. On mobile devices, you can find the two tabs by clicking the down arrow next to the Home tab.

How Can I Share my Story/Ask a Question?

If you would like to contact me about contributing or about any other issues, please email me at schizophrenicgb@gmail.com If you are hoping to share your story, please read the guidelines for submissions here.

Please help me make Still Here a real success by spreading the word of it!