I was 21 years old, 25 years ago when this photo was taken. It was a selfie (back before that was even a thing and digital photography) that I took whilst in the recovery process of a psychotic episode in 1994.

I think at this point I had stopped taking the meds (Stellazine and/or Melaril) which were pretty heavy duty at the time but rarely get used now. First generation antipsychotics. I had spent 6-weeks in a psych ward and got out perhaps a couple of weeks prior. I think I look and know I felt very lost at the time, not knowing how to get back to life again. I used to watch TV soaps just to try to figure out how to interact with people again. I went for long periods without showering and spent a lot of time trying just to sleep, to drown out my thoughts.

Four subsequent episodes with the last in 2017, I feel like I’ve got a handle on that aspect of my mental health insofar as I always know I will recover. Just wanting to share the message that people can and every minute, do recover from psychotic illness and learn how to manage. I still struggle with episodes of depression, but I’m still learning about that. Help is around if only you ask for it and actively seek it.