[Lost in Thought]

• Have you had a mental illness?
  Yes, they've labeled me with schizophrenia.
• Have you faced any discrimination for being mentally ill?
  I don't know if that's the right word or not, but if I thought I wasn't a part of society before, I certainly am not anymore. Nothing is 'normal', even after I ran through the obstacles of meds and landed on something decent, but I certainly can make good attempts at functioning with people. I can hold a part-time job now, and I have recently started taking some classes again because it helps me focus my mind. But, I am still another black sheep that went insane in the family. The whole family knows, and some ignorant people treat me like I'm retarded, who knows though maybe I act like it.
• Are there any positive things you have learned from having a mental illness?
  Not really. Trying to truly hold on to the belief that its a mental illness helps when I can do that. Otherwise, the only thing it has helped with is understanding the mental anguish other people I talk to with this are going through. There isn't much I can ever do, but I can at least be understanding on a way earth people can't be.