Description

By T R Eden

ISBN: 978-1-78382-086-3
Published: 2014
Pages: 104

About the Author

What affected me as a child?
At school I always felt that I did not fit in, I found making friends difficult, as I felt that I stood out from everyone else.
Whilst a school I had a couple of friends that I felt comfortable with because we had a lot in common.
I always felt that other people did not understand how difficult I found communicating with them. So I sometimes got picked on.
I could not deal with massive crowds as I thought everyone was looking at me.
My parents are loving, supportive and kind. They helped me deal with my problems in the best way possible.
My teachers supported me to the best of their ability especially with my Dyslexia and coordination.
Visually, I could see wired things inside my head that sometimes did not make sense.

What affected me as a teenager?
I found college very difficult because of the amount of work involved in terms of studying with dyslexia. Also interacting with other students that did not have dyslexia was difficult.
I found work difficult because there was a lot to take in terms of dealing with the public, I would become very self aware about my ability to cope.
As the first signs of illness started to show, I could not concentrate and found remembering information was also becoming more difficult.
Making friends was becoming increasingly difficult because I could not give them my full concentration or follow what they had to say.
I was becoming more self aware of other people and thought that everyone was watching me and talking about me.
I could not deal with big crowds as I felt scared and unable to concentrate within a mass of people.
My teachers were extremely supportive of my dyslexia and coordination, in fairness they did not know that I was becoming extremely unwell towards the end of the course.
Towards the end of my college course I was starting to think people were talking to me when they were not, I also started to feel really isolated.

What affects me as an adult?
By the time I reached 21 I was seeing horrific images all the time. I also had developed obsessive compulsive disorder. Meaning that I become worried about things like leaving the tap running. Eventually these situations have made me extremely anxious.
I was emitted into hospital for six months to help treat me, then I spent about 2 years in the day hospital to help me recover.
I found it impossible to deal with anyone else because my head was going round in circles especially because of the images I was seeing.
I still cannot handle large groups and some times have to walk away from groups because I cannot concentrate.
I am starting to get the confidence to deal with other people in various situations like groups in a meeting.
I owe my parents everything they looked after me when I was really unwell which was not easy.
Key workers are people who look after me. I have had great support from so many people to help me recover to the stage I am at now although I still see images and get anxious and suffer from OCD. The key workers have helped me gain some freedom, independence and confidence.

What I hope to achieve in the future.

I hope that my experiences will help promote understanding for disabilities among children and adults. I also hope that the book is an interesting read and people enjoy it.