February 26, 2017Uttley

Why, the phrase”I hear voices” is woefully inadequate in summing up the horrendous nature of mental illness (1)

Describing Sz is v. hard. I have found someone who is doing it well.

Mad new world

I am lucky enough to have a friend who has the same diagnosis as me. (Lucky in the sense that it means that I have someone to share my experiences with, not because it gives me a really broad and diverse spectrum of people I can claim to be close to).

Anyway.. she has had the same kind of experiences that as I have had; not entirely the same, because no two peoples experience of mental illness will be identical, but similar enough that when I start ranting about crazy stuff, she can follow what I’m saying.

With her I can talk about absolutely anything. There is nobody else with whom I could be so candid and so in depth about my symptoms and my bad days, most people would be lost at the first “tic, voices, triggered, frustration, memory, tic” loop; most people would be left wondering what the…

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8 comments

      • “If we humans could actually feel each others’ pain, what a different world it would be, eh?”

        Well, of course that’s not possible, but we can empathize, we can imagine what it must feel like. We can deepen that understanding through asking questions and listening to the answers.

        Isn’t that enough?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Oh, I’m sure that not feeling each others’ pain is a merciful thing. I mean, can you imagine? Everybody suffers. I do take your point about listening. I am forever trying to become a better listener. It’s hard.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Do you know, that’s the very phrase you want to listen out for. “I try”.

        Anybody who tries, and I have met a few of them, for they are rare beasts indeed, can overcome everything that stands in their path. It will take time, that is certain, but that is why we have three score years and ten.

        Whenever I meet someone who says – in whatever context we are discussing – “I try” I tell them the following: “no!”

        At which their face will fall.

        And then I say, “You’re not trying. You’re doing. Any trying is always an improvement on what you are already doing, and have been doing for years and years.”

        That is the truth.

        Liked by 1 person

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