The Perfect Perspective

Psychology is a very interesting field.  It covers topics from human behaviors to scientific mental processes, but in my opinion the most interesting topic is what can go wrong within these processes.  There are scientific explanations for psychological disorders that affect people like me and you.  It is important to understand that people are affected by psychological disorders just as suddenly as other health issues.

People have very different environmental and genetic factors that we are born into which differetiate ourselves.  But with this idea, how much control do we have over the kind of person we are?  This is a topic I find interesting to explore and discuss.  Throughout my blogs I will be taking you on a journey into the minds of different psychological disorders through movies, books, and even true stories.  The stories will surprise you and help you regain some very insightful perspective.

 

The first is a book, The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller.  This autobiography takes the reader through what psychologists call "the cancer of psychological disorders", Schizophrenia.  The story explains a young girl, 17 years old, who slowly develops this detrimental disorder.  It is the diary of Lori, her mother, her father, her doctors, and her siblings.  This book exemplifies the best possible perspective of Schizophrenia anyone could ever desire to have.  It takes all the perspectives in which the disorder is affecting and explains them so that you can feel every emotion, every relapse, and every success.


At age 17, Lori started hearing voices.  These voices tore down Lori's self esteem.  They yelled at her, telling her that she didn't deserve to live.  Lori went through many suicide attempts.  Suicide is thought of as the easy way out.  But for Lori, she simply felt alone and seeing it from her perspective, you can understand her rationality. 


Lori was misunderstood.  At first, she didn't even understand what was happeningto herself.  Without a psychology background, how was she suppose to know?  Before the disease, she was a simple teenage girl.  She had aspirations, college acceptances, friends, boyfriends, and family- just like most teenage girls.  But these accomplishments didn't give her the right to a welcoming invitation to Schizophrenia.  She didn't see the disorder coming at all, just as none of us would have.  And that quickly the voices entered her mind and took over her life.


Lori wrote, “I didn’t know how to communicate my suffering to anyone else. My anger was returning. I was screaming for help, but the language I was speaking no one seemed to understand. (183)”  But Lori didn't give up.  Through the support of her family she was able to leave the hospital after so many attempts and go back into her daily life.  She kept her diaries and made them into a beautiful story of inspiration and courage.  Lori Schiller still battles with Schizophrenia every day, but she has learned to take it one day at a time.  Today, Lori has gotten married and traveled many times to make inspirational speeches about her book. 

Schizophrenia is a greek word for "split mind."  And that is exactly what it does to its victims.  It splits their mind into different personalities and consequently splits their life into a never ending battle between their schizophrenic world and their normal life.  Schizophrenia is real.  So next time you see someone talking to themselves on the street, empathize, because we are all people, and no one deserves to go through what Lori Schiller and so many others have.