Imaginary Things (Inside the mind of a schizophrenic)

I don’t t Usually read non-fiction or such serious topics, but I was compelled to read this because one of my uncles suffers from schizophrenia. This was such a wonderful book and gave me more insight to his disease than I have ever had. I enjoyed the writing style and how much this book makes the reader think. This book creates awareness and compassion.

A young man named Mike describes his journey through schizophrenia by describing the thoughts that are going through his head.
He starts out his morning by talking to himself, he thinks that he is being watched constantly, he decides to put a stop to being constantly monitored by getting a baseball bat, driving around town and breaking a car window, and when that does not work, he decides to do something more dramatic.
He starts to feel superhuman and he decides to speed up and swerve his car until he gets noticed by the police. He gets chased by one policeman, then two more, but he continues to speed through some small towns and then he turns around to go home and he decides to attack the policemen. He gets home, picks up his bat, and heads towards the policemen, who tell him to get down on the ground, which he does. (All he can think about is that his life has been a show for people to see.)
He asks the policemen if they know who he is, he is then taken to jail and his bond is paid by his father, who only asks if he is O.K.?
Instead of going home, he is admitted to a psych ward, he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and put on medication, the doctor tells him that schizophrenia causes a person to think that they are in a false reality and that he is having delusional thoughts. He sees other patients act abnormally and get restrained, yet he thunks that he is still being watched by the government but he wants to leave the facility and he gets permission to leave with outpatient therapy and medication.
But, all is not well, and he goes home and he dreams for days that he is surrounded by metal bars, he is threatened by the other prisoners, he wakes up in a cold sweat and he is terrified and feels trapped.
He had a relapse, he feels like the walls are watching him, and he panics and runs out in the neighborhood in his boxers and his mother picks him up in a van and takes him back to the psych ward. He resigns himself to taking medication and he tries to build a relationship with a Teacher who helps to answer his questions about God.
Then, a friend who suffered from mental illness gave him some life changing - advice!
You will have to buy the book to see what happens to Mike - it is unbelievable!
A

The book sets out to assist the reader to see through the eyes and mind of a person with the mental health condition schizophrenia. It does that very well as the writer has understood his condition and addressed his need for medical intervention.
That journey is fascinating as is the looks, glances and remarks he gets along the way. Nut job perhaps resonating most with me. I feel it should warn us about passing judgement and making throw away comments to mask our fear and like of understanding. “nutter, away with the fairies, mad.”
While he was receiving treatment he was able to discern and accept genuineness in others that helped him listen and engage.
His liberation was two-fold in that he found help quickly and found the correct medication. The first drug prescribed to him over took his personality and left him tired and lethargic. I was struck by how he can to seek his GP out and get his ‘script changed.
The book is wonderful to explain the unreality of thinking that consumes the mind of a schizophrenic the mirror crisis reminded me of a recent episode on Eastenders.
I would urge anyone with a desire to learn more about mental illness and seek to talk with friends with mental health issues to read this short personal account. Let the person speak for themselves and be ready to listen.
Towards the end the piece takes on a personal testimony about how he author found God in a similar different journey. Again made possible by the loyalty of others and the integrity of someone not claiming to have all the answers.
While this will not be the path everyone takes it is encouraging to see Christianity having such a positive difference in someone’s wellbeing. That the writer could be apart from God, feeling he was made imperfect, flawed by a God who seemed distant and uncaring. Then feeling humble before his creator and seeking to help others praise his name is a powerful testimony of God’s work.
This book will therefore appeal to all Christians and faith groups to challenged their walk and place in the world.

Fabulously written book on mental illness and how our preconceived ideas make incorrect judgments as well as demean. The author is so open and personal that you desire to change and to truly understand. Nicely done.

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy by of this book via netgalley! Very informative and useful!