Schizophrenia - It's Not What You Think: Living Beyond Schizophrenia - a True Story of Overcoming Life’s Challenges Through God’s Grace

By Timothy R. Cameron

This book is about the author’s personal experience living with paranoia schizophrenia his entire life and how his strong faith in God helped him endure. The story tries to relate his experiences to you the reader who may have a similar mental illness and may need encouragement in carrying out your life to the best of your ability.
Mental illness is a very real illness. The general population downplays it sometimes as a character defect in the individual. Research about the cause of mental illness points to a biological or genetic predisposition which could be inherited. For myself I believe it was inherited. I will get into my beliefs on that later on. The environment can also be a factor for some people who develop mental illness.
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that originates from malfunctioning signals from the brain that effect ones thought processes & behavior. Just because you are diagnosed later in life doesn’t mean you were not born with the illness. The illness has a broad effect on a person’s everyday functioning such as going to school, working, hygiene or social relationships. Once diagnosed with schizophrenia a person is effected usually in a negative manner. Their lives change dramatically. Their ability to carry on a normal routine becomes limited motivation is many times effected because of the side effects of the medication which they are taking. A person may feel tired & listless much of the time. Medication helps with the delusions and hallucinations that exist in an acute episode but can also slow a person down. Outside supports from family & friends can be a huge asset to someone with schizophrenia, exercise (if you can do it), meditation (relaxation techniques), a strong relationship with God, & a stable & secure living environment all can help in coping with the illness as well. Mental health professionals also can be a huge asset & wanting to get help by the person is definitely necessary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664156982

Timothy R. Cameron

Timothy Cameron has been a Director, Founder and Advocate in the Mental Health field for over 25 years. He was Hopeline (warm line) Director and Founder for nearly 20 years. He is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Massena, New York and a strong believer in the importance of having God in your life to overcome obstacles you face. He is a past 10 year board member of St Lawrence County Community Services Board and Subcommittee of Mental Health and also past board member of PAIMI- Protection and Advocacy for People with Mental Illness. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University and currently works as a Peer Companion (Warmline worker) for People USA. He is also waiting his certification as Peer Specialist in New York State. He is the author of “Schizophrenia - It’s Not What You Think”

Book preview

SCHIZOPHRENIA

- IT’S NOT WHAT

YOU THINK

LIVING BEYOND SCHIZOPHRENIA - A

TRUE STORY OF OVERCOMING LIFE’S

CHALLENGES THROUGH GOD’S GRACE

TIMOTHY R. CAMERON

COPYRIGHT © 2021 BY TIMOTHY R. CAMERON.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/26/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

810598

Disclaimer

The content of this book is based on my own personal experience and my view of schizophrenia (mental illness). My viewpoints may be different from the experiences or viewpoints of other people with schizophrenia (mental illness).

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Schizophrenia’s effect on the individual

Chapter 1    Setbacks and Successes

Chapter 2    God’s Intervention: Work, Adventures and Sports

Chapter 3    Helping Strategies and Power of Prayer

Chapter 4    More Blessings and Warning Signs

Chapter 5    Finding Your Purpose, Values and Goal Setting

Chapter 6    God’s Forgiveness and Acceptance of Ourselves

About the Author

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my brother Tom Cameron and Mary Weldon for the idea of writing a book.

I would also like to thank my wife, Ruth, for being my ultimate supporter. Ruth has been my encourager and inspirer in writing the book. Also my children, Abigail and Timothy Carl.

Thanks to my parents, Carl and Jane Cameron, for an excellent upbringing and support. Also, thank you to my brothers Jim and Joe Cameron.

Thanks to Benjamin and Tarcela Sales, my wife’s parents, for all their help.

I would like to thank Frank Mittiga, John Witkop, Mark Reagan, Mike Hayes, Zach Witkop, Leroy Jewtraw, Gaetan Rochefort, Pastor Colin Lucid, Greg Wiley, Joe Strasser, and Paul Kelly for their support.

A special thank you to Frank Mittiga for all his support during times of crisis for myself. Frank has been a great friend for the past fifty-plus years.

Thank you to Rev. Patrick Ratigan for marrying us.

Thank you to Pastor Colin Lucid and John Burke for all their assistance and guidance.

I would like to thank Mark Snider, our lawyer, for all his generosity and assistance.

Most of all, thank you to God for the guidance, direction, and support in my life.

Introduction

SCHIZOPHRENIA’S EFFECT

ON THE INDIVIDUAL

This book is about my personal experience living with paranoid schizophrenia my entire life and how my strong faith in God helped me endure. The story tries to relate my experiences to you, the reader, who may have a similar mental illness and may need encouragement in carrying out your life to the best of your ability.

Mental illness is a very real illness. The general population downplays it sometimes as a character defect in the individual. Research about the cause of mental illness points to a biological or genetic predisposition, which could be inherited. For myself, I believe it was inherited. I will get into my beliefs on that later on. The environment can also be a factor for some people who develop mental illness.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that originates from malfunctioning signals from the brain that affect one’s thought processes and behavior. Just because you are diagnosed later in life doesn’t mean you were not born with the illness. The illness has a broad effect on a person’s everyday functioning, such as going to school, working, hygiene, or social relationships. Once diagnosed with schizophrenia, a person is affected usually in a negative manner. Their lives change dramatically. Their ability to carry on a normal routine becomes limited. Motivation is many times affected because of the side effects of the medication they are taking. A person may feel tired and listless most of the time. Medication helps with the delusions and hallucinations that exist in an acute episode but can also slow a person down. Outside support from family and friends can be a huge asset to someone with schizophrenia. Exercise (if you can do it), meditation (relaxation techniques), a strong relationship with God, and a stable and secure living environment can all help in coping with the illness as well. Mental health professionals can also be a huge asset, and wanting to get help by the person is definitely necessary.

Noise, confusion, and stress are the enemies of someone with schizophrenia. So a person’s living arrangement plays a huge part in reducing hospitalizations. In today’s world, the individual is looking and hoping to lead a meaningful life despite the illness, beyond just coping with the symptoms. Getting the help one needs can lead to achieving a fulfilling life and produce benefits much greater than one might expect. A person with schizophrenia sometimes has difficulty evaluating what is real and unreal. They lose touch with reality. Their delusions and hallucinations become so overwhelming from their inaccurate sensory perceptions that they become psychotic and lose touch with what is actually happening to them and everyone in reality. Schizophrenia consists of a false feeling that the mind creates to make sense of a predominant feeling of fear and hopelessness—the feeling that people are plotting against me or conspiring to control or kill me or my family.

This is sometimes believable to other people. The stronger the will or feeling in someone, the more likely one sees the fear that someone is after them or will harm them or their family. The person sees himself or herself or their family being punished, watched by others, or threatened by others. The person feels that they are the center of importance (maybe in their own world, but not in reality) or they are the center of attention, and the person sees himself or herself as someone of significant importance, which is a delusion or false belief. This is exactly what happened to me in each of my five hospitalizations, which I explained in this book. It’s important to recognize that what a person does or doesn’t do isn’t that important in the bigger scheme of things. We really aren’t as important as we think we are. Getting signals from things, people, or objects to act out is false and should not be paid attention to. Tell yourself: I am not all that important. I am just another ordinary person. Background noises are also overwhelming at times.

In this book, I try to relate to the reader that it is possible to live a full and meaningful life despite having the illness. The book is about what I have done in my life despite battling paranoid schizophrenia for my entire life. I hope the reader is able to get some ideas that may help them in coping and living a productive, full, and meaningful life despite having the illness.

Right now, the world is dealing with a virus invading our society (year 2020). The virus is called the coronavirus or COVID-19. I saw the following meaning of COVID-19 on Facebook: COVID-19—Christ Over Viruses and Infectious Diseases, also Joshua 1:19, which is about being courageous. The virus is killing and infecting thousands of people and negatively affecting the world’s economy in an unprecedented way. To date, thirty million people are filing for unemployment benefits in the US within four weeks. Businesses closing, schools closing, hospital beds at capacity, shortages of medical supplies—the world is definitely in a perilous predicament with this pandemic. It is important to realize that the whole world is experiencing this calamity. Many people think it is God’s way of communicating to earth that our focus has been on the wrong areas in our lives. Instead of focusing on our Creator (God), we have been too busy with our own selfish desires in this world. The advice by President Trump and Governor Cuomo is to stay home isolated from everyone and adhere to social distancing.

God is giving us a chance to get closer to our families and to Him through the isolation imposed by the president. My hope is that more families will realize God’s importance in their lives. I hope more families are praying for God’s intervention to end this pandemic. Also, my desire is that it would be a wake-up call for America and the rest of the world to see the importance of putting God first in our lives. Everyone has been too greedy and selfish in pursuit of higher incomes and status. Acquiring stuff doesn’t make us happy. Neither does making a higher salary. Someone making $25,000 says they will be happy if they made $40,000. Someone making $40,000 says they will be happy if they make $50,000. The cycle continues in achieving and acquiring wants or desires. It’s a selfish cycle to get caught up in.

Getting back to the pandemic, to cope with the effects of the pandemic, it’s important to express your feelings and admit that you are afraid. Do you feel tense or overwhelmed? How does your body feel? If it is tense or tight, then maybe a warm bath, relaxation exercises, or taking a walk outside would help. Your healthy diet is important, along with reducing your stressors. Make a plan to do the things you need to do, such as the laundry or taking a walk. Don’t feel compelled to do everything. Let some things slide. Ask for help because your mental and physical health are limited, especially when dealing with a mental illness. You can’t do everything, and you can’t please everyone. Realize that you are not alone. Everyone is stressed out during this pandemic. Prioritize what you need to do and don’t strive for perfection. Exercise (if you can) reduces stress and increases your well-being. If you are able, walking thirty minutes a day five times a week is recommended. Sleep is important too. Seven to ten hours’ sleep is recommended. You may be inclined to take the easy path, such as sitting all day. The new health guideline is that sitting too much is almost as bad as smoking cigarettes. One should limit the use of devices and limit watching the news. The news stories usually focus on what’s wrong