The Years I Lost to Mental Illness

Just turned 30 and this video could not be more relevant. Thank you so much for eloquently putting into words what I experience but fail to explain well myself. I’ve never been good at talking about emotions, life, or my mental state, so it’s tremendously helpful to be able to just point people your videos and say “this. 100% this.” <3

Erik Wislinsky

I’ve been married 38 years. My husband was 24 when he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. He’s 62 now. We’ve Had our trials and tribulations for sure. We’re not academics like you Michael. I’m a nurse and my husband was applying applications for lawns. He was fired from that job because his first hospitalization was 2 months. He got another job at a University As a groundskeeper and eventually was able to transfer to a job as a Stationery Engineer where he stayed for 25 years. He’s had 3 hospitalizations in all these years. He has said to me that he feels like he was dealt a life sentence. I validate that but remind him that he has managed this disease extremely well and he is higher functioning than most people I know. I love Lauren’s videos because my husband does not talk about what it’s like to have schizoaffective disorder. I know when my husband is slipping into psychosis from signs like eye movements, staying up all night to clean the garage and have been able to get him into the dr before things require a hospitalization. It’s not an easy road but I consider this to be a disease, like any other disease. And i support my husband any way I can.

I gained artistic motivation and discovered my talent in my lost years.

When I was in undergrad I was premed and majored in philosophy. My plan was medical school. I made it one year and had to leave due to my symptoms. At the time my diagnosis was only bipolar disorder. The schizoaffective symptoms did not emerge till later. After med school I went to grad school to get my masters in social psychology. That's when the schizophrenic symptoms began surfacing. Through I'm capable academically, I doubt I'll ever be able to hold down a job. You could say that I got a rough hand in life but that is not how I see it. My life is challenging but there is not a single person on the face of this planet (aside from Conan O'Brian lol) who I would trade places with. My faith and spirituality has been the bedrock of my life. Having this condition and being a deeply spiritual person can pose its challenges but it's not something that I can't handle at this point in my life. Your videos are amazing. Please keep them coming. All the best.

I can relate! I feel like I’ve lost decades of my life. I also know that it helps to reframe how you view it. Thank you for sharing! 🙏