18 years in 3

I don't know how I came up with this phrase, but I mentioned it to Ruth Folger Kalatsky from Adlib Unlimited yesterday during a virtual meeting between us at her request. What does it mean?

It took me exactly 18 years to overcome my schizophrenia. I was diagnosed in 2008, but my first episode occurred in 2005, in Cuba. In these eighteen years, I died. I lost almost everything, but after a lot of effort, I regained almost everything.

But why three? Because, in some way, something told me that this cannot happen anymore. A person with a mental health issue should not lose so much time of life and experience death just to start over from scratch.

Can we do this? Something tells me yes. But thinking about it, I don't know how.

Let's see. If in 2005, in Cuba, I had noticed that I had a problem (given that I had an episode in a taxi), maybe I would have consulted a specialist. For that to happen, I would have had to be already undergoing some form of therapy.

If that had happened, I would probably have been on medication by 2005. Okay. Perhaps by 2006, I would have been experiencing the negative effects of the medications, which usually cause drowsiness and loss of will, but in another year or two, I might have already found some way out of that.

Just that, plus some maturity on my part, might have saved my marriage, my career, and my health. Maybe, with a lot of luck and effort, by 2008, I would have been totally under control and well. But why didn't this happen?

Because I had no guidance, no support, I was too arrogant, self-confident, and foolish. And I did not have the proper direction for sick people like me.

But I know that theory is one thing and usually doesn't lead to anything. Often, you have to make mistakes to figure out how to do things. I had to endure more than 18 attempts of murder and suicide to get here. Could all of this have been avoided? I don't know.

But I know today that at least with guidance and appropriate technologies, my 18 years of death could have been reduced by at least half, meaning nine years. By 2014, I would have been out of this problem, which for 85% of patients is completely incapacitating and deadly.

From the conversation with Ruth, I understood that this focus was what I needed to guide my efforts in helping patients like me. She seemed moved by it, and indeed, I was too. But today I understand that only with this mentality am I truly motivated to continue.

18 years in three. Is it possible? It's worth trying. I believe it's possible.

Soon, I should launch the Facebook pages of my project 'Schizophrenia is not the end' in English, French, German, and Spanish. I will report here and on other platforms.

(Rodrigo Contrera)

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/ruthfolgerkalatsky/

https://www.adlibunlimited.com/