Michelle Hammer-SCHIZOPHRENIA Educator
"People don't talk about mental health issues because of the stigma, even though one in five New Yorkers suffer from one." Among these people who live in New York is Michelle Hammer, who suffers from schizophrenia. Three broad categories can be used to categorize schizophrenia symptoms: positive, negative, and cognitive. Unwanted behaviours including delusions, hallucinations, and disembodied voices are added to the favourable symptoms.
My Story
A lack of emotion, motivation, or social interaction is the result of the negative symptoms, which interfere with normal behaviors. The cognitive symptoms impair mental abilities, making concentration and information processing more difficult. Each person with schizophrenia is unique, though. For Michelle, voices are a sign of schizophrenia. Occasionally, she hears voices on the street and initiates conversation with them. She used to have two voices that would continually argue in her thoughts before she started taking medication: one positive and upbeat and the other gloomy and negative.At other times, she would get recurring ideas that would continuously throw her head into disarray. She believed as a child that her mother was attempting to kill her, and she continued to believe this about her best friend throughout college. Living with schizophrenia means always being afraid, suspicious, and alone. Michelle was frightened that everyone was against her, so she chose not to ask for assistance. Not only do many New Yorkers suffer from schizophrenia, but they also face other similar problems.
But because mental health is a taboo subject and ignorance exists, no one discusses it. Michelle is trying to change this truth by telling her experience. Michelle advises anyone who are dealing with mental health issues to be truthful. The hardest part of her journey was realizing she had a problem and getting assistance, but it was also the nicest thing that had ever happened to her. It may sound comforting to be able to pinpoint the issue, but once she discovered the drugs that helped, schizophrenia ceased to be a condition that limited her quality of life and instead became an essential aspect of who she was, something she was proud of. Even those who are aware that they are mentally sick are frequently reluctant to ask for assistance out of guilt or concern about others' opinions. Medication, however, can greatly enhance day-to-day living, and failing to take it is only detrimental to oneself. In Michelle’s own words, “if you try hard enough and you really want to fix it, you can.” Refusing assistance also helps to reinforce unfavorable images. The most significant distinction between Michelle and the all-too-common cliché of the homeless schizophrenic regarding mental health is that Michelle was able to seek care. Declaring one's mental illness to the world lets others know that mental illness is a real condition and that those who suffer from it are no different from the general public. It also starts a conversation about mental health. How can the rest of the world come to accept someone who is struggling with mental illness if they themselves are unable to do so? Michelle's clothing and accessory business is based on the idea that individuals should be proud of who they are in addition to being honest about it. save for the quotations, paraphrase the entire text.