Hearing what others have to say about their experiences with psychosis can often make it easier to understand. It can help those with psychosis, as well as the people who love and care for them, know that they are not alone.

Mike's Story

    My name is Mike and I play bass in the band Ten Ways From Sunday. I have actually suffered from psychosis in the past due to severe depression. I had always been incredibly shy, from a very young age, and with the onset of puberty came the onset of depression. In grade eight my thought patterns began to change and I became constantly more anti-social and withdrawn. These negative thoughts began to gradually increase as I got older and by the time I was in high school I was almost unable to communicate with others. I began to experience very paranoid thoughts and believed that I was being constantly and harshly judged by everyone around me. I was constantly skipping class because it was just too hard to face anyone socially. I began to sleep less and less and all of my days seemed to blur together. As well, I developed an intense sense of discomfort from physical contact.

    After high school was finished I began to feel better for a while but constantly had major periods where I was incredibly down and, again, very withdrawn. Pretty much the only thing in my life that seemed constant and gave me any enjoyment was playing music. When I was twenty-three I joined a successful metal band called the Devin Townsend Band and proceeded to tour Europe. The experience was immensely stressful and led to another period of depression and paranoia. In actuality, the entire time that I was experiencing these symptoms, I really had no concept that there was anything wrong with the way I was feeling. It took a close friend to tell me that there was actually something amiss. I was incredibly hurt and vehemently denied that my experiences were anything but ‘normal’. After thinking very long and hard on what my friend had said to me, I realized that I had been experiencing negativity, paranoia and withdrawn behaviors for so long that I just believed them to be normal.
     When I returned from Europe I immediately sought help from my family doctor. With his help and advice I started taking medication, going to therapy and running. Through two years of medication and a year of therapy I learned how to find perspective in my life and how to combat the negative thoughts and ideas in my mind. Since that time there have been many struggles and it has been a constant climb but I feel that I won’t ever have to be in that downward spiral again.

An Audience Member Shares Her Thoughts

    The ReachOut Tour arrived in Fraser Lake on October 5th and as an advocate for those suffering from mental disorders, I was privileged to attend the performance.
     I sat wedged in the bleachers amongst the rows of giggling, fidgeting adolescents peering down curiously at what turned out to be an extremely talented group of musicians. The giggling and fidgeting ceased following the first rousing notes emanating from the band "10 Ways From Sunday." Between tunes, students responded with guffaws to slam poet Barb Adler's hilarious renditions, as she cradled her microphone in a well-rehearsed and cleverly interactive skit. And always the message that "Psychosis Sucks When There's No One There To Catch You" was put forth in simple but articulate language by moderator Carola Tize who explained the symptoms, causes and statistics of the psychiatric condition affecting so many young people world wide.
     The children learned and I learned as well. And I experienced a sense of relief that this group was now taking up the cause of increasing awareness, providing education and promoting empathy to those only a few years younger than themselves that might well become affected by the too often misunderstood symptoms of psychosis.

-Doris Ray

Doris Ray is the author of The Ghosts Behind Him, which recounts her son's battle with schizophrenia. This book, which won a BC2000 Award, also provides insight to important social issues such as mental health care and the legal system. A mother of four and a grandmother of five, Doris writes a column for her local newspaper and has published articles on mental health, travel and local history. She has also published two chapbooks of poetry.