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By Matthew Dickson

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were faced with a horrific situation? Imagine being in a car crash or a tsunami and being severely injured, lost your legs or became blind? How would you cope? Could you cope? Would you be strong enough to handle it and persevere?

Prior to my situation, I never thought of what I’d do in such circumstances. Now, I was faced with that reality. Although my situation wasn’t a car crash or some other scenario caused by an external or physical force, mine was struck from within. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was hit with an internal disease. My brain suddenly stopped working properly and with it came a lot of pain.

Soon, I’d be face to face with my reality. I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and let me tell you, it was no picnic. It was excruciatingly painful. I heard of the mental challenges some face who have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, but I had no idea of the physical pain that would accompany it. No one ever talks about this. The physical pain of mental illness needs to be shared more than it is. The anxiety I experienced felt like I had a machete stuck straight through my chest. Since being diagnosed, I heard others with mental illness describe their pain this way.

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