Gurleen Kaur of The University of Alberta speaks about her experience with psychosis.
“Often people will read in textbooks, or papers…that psychosis is this break in reality,” she said. ” It doesn’t quite capture what it means to me, based on my experience.”
Kaur said psychosis can cause her to see faces, which in the past could cause her to be so scared that she couldn’t leave her room.
“When things like these come up, it’s a real impact on my life.”
She’s been able to work with a team at Alberta Health Services, who have helped her manage symptoms. She says finding people she can be open with about her recovery has been a great help.
“Struggling in isolation is not fun at all. It can bring on other negative thoughts for yourself,” she said. “Having a sense of community is important.”
Kaur says she hopes people treat themselves and others with kindness.
“Try to be kind to yourself, but also give people benefit of the doubt. If somebody has some said something to you that you didn’t like, instead of jumping to the worst conclusion, give them grace,” she said. “You don’t know what’s going on in somebody’s life, and it’s often hidden, especially with mental illnesses.”
“If somebody else is struggling with [psychosis], if helping them understand that you can recover from this can be a step forward for them, then I’m happy to talk about this.”
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