Indeed, Ashley is all those things. And she is also a person with a mental health disorder called schizoaffective disorder. “I have been in recovery since 2007,” she says, succinctly summing up the way she views her life post-diagnosis. She views her recovery journey as both an achievement and a path that she continues to follow.
How she learned about her condition
In 2007, Ashley was a university student in Atlanta when the stress began to pile on. She was experiencing symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. “I saw things, heard things, felt things,” she remembers. “I thought people were reading my emails. I thought that I saw spirits and ghosts and things of that sort.” She also heard voices—voices that were not her own. “It was all just very complicated,” she says. “Sometimes it was one voice. Other times, I heard multiple voices.” She didn’t realize that she was experiencing some of the classic symptoms of schizophrenia, a mental health disorder that affects 20 million people worldwide. Schizophrenia affects how people perceive the world around them, often resulting in psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and unusual thought patterns. It can also cause cognitive impairment, like difficulty processing or using information, and negative symptoms like difficulty showing emotions, reduced motivation, and social withdrawal and isolation. Ashley took a break from her studies, only to wind up in a crisis just a few short months later. She was arrested and went to jail. Soon thereafter, she received a schizophrenia diagnosis, which she calls “an eye-opener.” Suddenly, she began to understand some of the symptoms she’d been experiencing, although she also realized that she had a lot to learn.
Moving forward with knowledge
Ashley eventually learned that she actually has a condition called schizoaffective disorder that includes symptoms of schizophrenia as well as symptoms of a mood disorder. It’s actually rarer than schizophrenia itself. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates a lifetime prevalence of only about 0.3% for schizoaffective disorder. There are two types of schizoaffective disorder: The bipolar type and the depressive type. Ashley has the bipolar type, so she experiences episodes of both mania and depression along with symptoms of schizophrenia. The good news about schizoaffective disorder is that it can be managed effectively with therapy and medication, according to NAMI. And Ashley is doing just that: taking her medication, going to therapy, and being grateful for a strong support network that she can count on. One of the main reasons she’s so determined to manage her schizoaffective disorder? Her son. “It is truly a blessing to have a child,” says Ashley, who affectionately refers her nine-year-old son as “Big Boy.” “It’s truly a blessing that I am maintaining wellness and have the opportunity to raise my child and to share the values and principles that I want to teach him.” In addition to being on the right medications, therapy and a devotion to self-care are crucial for Ashley. She has learned that everyday stress, like financial stress that affects many people, is triggering when it builds up over time. In therapy, she can talk about those stressors. “I’m also a strong advocate for keeping a routine,” Ashley says. So, every morning before work, she spends five or ten minutes journaling and capturing the feelings that she experiences. She recites affirmations to help herself stay focused, and she listens to motivational talks and inspirational music, which sets a positive tone for her. That also helps her manage her stress. Other self-care strategies included signing up for a gym membership to help her stay active and healthy while also managing her stress. She monitors herself for signs of mania, which have been known to develop when she takes on a new writing project. And when she realized that she wasn’t getting enough sleep, she took steps to reduce her hours at work. She relies on her friends and family, too. “I truly understand now the concept of ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’” she says. Ashley is also proud of her work. Since 2012, she’s been a peer counselor who works with other people with mental health disorders like schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. She helps people set goals and determine how to reach them. She educates people about how to articulate their experiences with a mental health disorder that is frequently misunderstood. In fact, she has coordinated with NAMI Georgia to offer workshops on topics like talking about personal experiences with mental health disorders. It’s a job “that I’m really passionate about,” she says.
Ashley’s advice to people who receive a schizophrenia diagnosis
If you (or someone you love) receives a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, don’t get discouraged. Ashley says, “Schizophrenia is a medical condition that is very manageable.” Learn as much as you can about your diagnosis. Or if you’re concerned about possible symptoms, seek medical care and get the right diagnosis so treatment can begin. It may take some trial and error after you get your diagnosis—and you may have to adjust your expectations for yourself. Medication may reduce your symptoms, but they may not eradicate them. Says Ashley, “I would strongly encourage you to seek therapy because there’s no such thing as a magic pill, there’s no happy pill, so even if you’re on medication, there’s no guarantee that you’re not going to have symptoms.” As a result, you may have to learn some coping skills that will help you navigate these symptoms—and navigate your life in general. Therapy or counseling can help you with that, according to Ashley. So, for example, if stress is a trigger for you, as it is for Ashley, it will be worth your while to learn those strategies to help you cope. “So, how do you manage? You can’t just shut down,” says Ashley. “You can’t have black and white thinking.” Another aspect of self-care: Don’t neglect your your overall health. You may have other health conditions that need addressing, too. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a higher premature mortality rate among people with schizophrenia can be attributed to conditions such as diabetes, liver disease and heart disease—possibly because they’re under-diagnosed and under-treated. Next up: Is schizophrenia genetic?
Sources
Ashley Smith, interview.Mayo Clinic:Schizoaffective DisorderNational Alliance on Mental Illness: Schizoaffective DisorderNational Alliance on Mental Illness: SchizophreniaNational Institute of Mental Health: Schizophrenia
