WEBVTT FILE

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“I'm living my life with mental
illness. You know, what you say,

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what she say I can't control
that. I can control what I do

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and say and how I live with
my mental illness.” Shelby has

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Schizophrenia, a long-term
mental health condition that

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affects how he perceives reality
and manages his emotions.

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Someone living with
Schizophrenia may see, hear,

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feel, or believe things that
do not exist. They may behave

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strangely - talking to
themselves, wandering aimlessly,

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dressing oddly. Schizophrenia
affects a person's ability to

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think clearly, to make
decisions, and to relate to

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other people. “Schizophrenia
is a disorder in which the

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connections within the brain
have been severely disrupted or

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they weren't formed properly
in the first place.” “And it is

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because it's a disorder of the
mind; the mind really controls

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behavior. And that's why
people's behavior changes when

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they have the illness.” The
symptoms of Schizophrenia can be

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broken down into three
categories: Positive, Negative,

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and Cognitive. Positive symptoms
don't mean that they are good.

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Rather, a Positive symptom
adds on to a person's normal

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experience. Examples are
hallucinations, seeing, hearing,

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or feeling things that aren't
there, or delusions, firmly

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believing things that aren't
true. Negative symptoms take

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away from a person's normal
experience and often look like

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depression. A person might feel
very flat or unemotional. They

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might withdraw from other
people. They might lose interest

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in activities or stop showering
and taking care of themselves.

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Cognitive symptoms affect a
person's ability to think

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clearly and may include
disorganized thinking, confusing

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speech or stopping mid-action
to begin another unrelated

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activity. “Hallucinations,
hearing voices. I couldn't sit

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still. I'd see figures running
across the desk.” Paul Beier is

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no stranger to the symptoms
of Schizophrenia, an extremely

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disabling mental illness. He
began experiencing symptoms in

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high school but was not
diagnosed until he was 35. “It

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was frustrating not to be
able to get the right diagnosis

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probably because I had deep down
inside me felt if I really wait

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this out, I'll become Paul
again, that I will get better.

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And it took a lot longer than I
ever imagined, but it was worth

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it.” Schizophrenia, which
affects about one percent of the

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population, often appears
during a person's teens or early

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twenties. While the exact cause
of Schizophrenia is unknown, it

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is believed a person's genes
and environmental factors may be

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involved. Other risk factors
can include having an immediate

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relative with Schizophrenia,
using mind-altering drugs,

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complications during pregnancy
such as exposure to infection or

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malnutrition, and how your brain
is wired. Shelby blames his

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illegal drug use. “My drugs
brought out my mental illness.

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It made it worse and worse and
worse. In and out of prison. In

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and out of hospitals. It was
terrible. I never forget them

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days. I survived because I put
it in my mind and my heart.” In

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order to diagnose Schizophrenia,
other conditions must first be

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ruled out. These might include
other medical issues, drug use,

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or Bipolar Disorder. The
major symptoms of Schizophrenia

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include hallucinations,
delusions or disorganized

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thinking or behavior, or
negative symptoms. To be

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diagnosed, 2 or more of these
symptoms must occur together for

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at least one month. All symptoms
must last for six months as well

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as get in the way of
functioning. People with

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Schizophrenia often don't
recognize their symptoms, or

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they might feel like others are
trying to harm them. So, they

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isolate themselves and don't
seek out help. “The only way

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that you'll know I have
Schizophrenia is by interacting

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with me. So, if I'm not
communicating with you that I'm

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suffering from hallucinations
because I may not realize that

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the hallucinations aren't real.
If I don't realize that I'm

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developing these symptoms that
align with schizophrenia and I

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don't communicate that to a
health professional or somebody

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from my school or somebody with
my family, then all that you'll

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observe is that I'm slowly
retracting.” Treatment for

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Schizophrenia depends on
the symptoms and may include

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medication, Talk Therapy,
lifestyle changes, or a

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combination of all three.
Finding a supportive community

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can also be very helpful for
recovery. There is a network of

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social clubs across the U.S.
for people with mental illness.

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Supportive friends and family
can also help. “Support is very

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important. I never experienced
that. I never knew of things

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like that. Support, it was given
to me. And, um, it made me a

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better person.” “Somebody that
has schizophrenia has a variety

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of needs and so their support
network, the availability of

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counseling to help that
individual recognize their

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symptoms, cope with
their symptoms, is a near

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requirement.” “There are so many
people leading productive and

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rewarding lives with
Schizophrenia.” It may take some

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time to find the best treatment,
but there is hope if you seek

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professional help. “It may not
be the way you had originally

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envisioned your life to go. Your
life is going to be different

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because like any illness it's,
it is a serious illness and it's

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going to take time and energy to
manage it. But it doesn't mean

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that you can't manage it and
that you can't go back to doing

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the things you love to do.”