Can you imagine giving voice to your greatest fears? Can you imagine wondering if what you know is true? Can you imagine being told you have schizophrenia? Who would you talk to? What would you do? We have experienced these very things. We are people who live every day with schizophrenia, and we want to share our stories. Our Voices tells you what it's like to be diagnosed with a major mental illness, to live with symptoms, and to navigate the mental health system. We created this book to share our personal perspectives and to illuminate the shared perceptions, experiences and challenges people with schizophrenia face.
Colette, Manisha, Michael, Claudia and Pickens, the masterminds and architects of Our Voices, are writers, painters, poets, swimmers, activists, volunteers, readers, friends, and family members. Here they share their voices and those of 20 others, to illustrate the daily experience of schizophrenia.