ABSTRACT
In 1974, aged 30, the author was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. It was a terrifying and traumatic experience, and his life changed dramatically as a result. The author's paternal grandfather suffered a 'nervous breakdown' in the 1920s, as did two of his father's cousins and an uncle. In addition to being treated with drugs the author also had to attend occupational therapy classes each weekday morning. In the afternoons, there were occasional group-therapy sessions for author to attend, comprising between eight and twelve patients and a psychiatrist. As the year 2000 approached, the author's life began to blossom once again, with the promise of living comfortably and securely in medical retirement – and completely at ease, at long last, with a distressing mental illness. Personally, one sad and traumatic event that occurred on 4 December in the year 2000 was the death of his mother, aged 89 years.
