My humble background
I lost my dad at the age of five. It was so difficult for my mum to cater for me and my brother. We struggled a lot. So, my uncle took me into his home, to help ease the burden on my mum. I was with my uncle until I turned seventeen. When I graduated from secondary school, I decided to go back to my hometown and stay with my mum.

As a typical Nigerian secondary school graduate, I started looking for ways to make money, to assist my mum and save for university. I did all kinds of menial jobs just to make money, and I became depressed. Many people wanted me to become their apprentice/ serve them so that later in the future, I can continue in their line of business. I refused all the offers because I was more concerned about getting a university degree. I had to wait for four years to get admission to study at a polytechnic.

When I got diagnosed
Within that four years of waiting for admission, I fell ill. Though the cause of my illnesses wasn’t immediately discovered. I fell into a coma. And after I recovered, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. In Africa, there are a lot of misconceptions about mental illness and schizophrenia is often viewed as a spiritual illness. I initially, didn’t understand how serious my condition was.

Living with schizophrenia
After I left the hospital, I thought I was fully recovered and, that it was time to carry on with my life so I left home for school. Because I was feeling physically okay, I thought there was no need for me to continue taking my medication.

Not long after I ignored my medication...


Read more: https://mymentalhealthandi.com/my-story-living-with-schizophrenia/