Maria's story
My name is Maria.
My first experience of mental ill health was at 13 years of age. Up until that point I was living with my family and enjoying life, had plenty of friends and was doing well at school. Generally, doing all the things a 13 year old does, until I mentally hit a wall.
I’ve experienced stigma from a range of sources both adults and peers. Sometimes it felt like the illness could be “caught”. I’ve been asked what I do if you go “mad”; you might experience mental illness as 1 - 4 of us will experience a mental health problem at some time.
I was 18 when I received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and my initial reaction was that I was gutted. I realised that this was what I had been experiencing for years. But then I realised that it wasn’t so bad, it had a name and that I could fight it. The first stigma I had to face then was my own, could I accept this diagnosis? Yes, I can. To this day I still have bad days and good days and days in between. But if others can cope, then so can I.
What have I been doing to promote my recovery? In the past number of years I have turned to education and I am also a volunteer for Rethink.
If I can reach out and help just one person through this campaign with Rethink in Northern Ireland (Find out more about the Northern Ireland anti-stigma campaign that Maria was involved in) then it has been worth every day along the journey of the last 15+ years.
Yes, just in case you wonder, I do still take medication but so do a lot of other people.
My first experience of mental ill health was at 13 years of age. Up until that point I was living with my family and enjoying life, had plenty of friends and was doing well at school. Generally, doing all the things a 13 year old does, until I mentally hit a wall.
I’ve experienced stigma from a range of sources both adults and peers. Sometimes it felt like the illness could be “caught”. I’ve been asked what I do if you go “mad”; you might experience mental illness as 1 - 4 of us will experience a mental health problem at some time.
I was 18 when I received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and my initial reaction was that I was gutted. I realised that this was what I had been experiencing for years. But then I realised that it wasn’t so bad, it had a name and that I could fight it. The first stigma I had to face then was my own, could I accept this diagnosis? Yes, I can. To this day I still have bad days and good days and days in between. But if others can cope, then so can I.
What have I been doing to promote my recovery? In the past number of years I have turned to education and I am also a volunteer for Rethink.
If I can reach out and help just one person through this campaign with Rethink in Northern Ireland (Find out more about the Northern Ireland anti-stigma campaign that Maria was involved in) then it has been worth every day along the journey of the last 15+ years.
Yes, just in case you wonder, I do still take medication but so do a lot of other people.
