Most people have seen movies or TV shows that have used schizophrenia as part of their story. But how often do we stop to think about what those representations actually mean or look like? Do they portray the experience of people living with schizophrenia accurately? As studies have shown, schizophrenia is one of the conditions that the general public views most negatively and generates a lot of stigma. Societal stigma is one aspect, but for those living with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, there's an additional challenge of managing their own internalized stigma when it comes to being diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, there are people living with schizophrenia who are trying to change that. One of those people is Adria Roberts, who works as a mental health peer support worker. It's a job she says gave her hope and helped her regain her life after her diagnosis. In this episode, she shares how she came to terms with her diagnosis.

Resources:

• Lost in Reality: Hearing Voices - Adria Roberts' TEDxChilliwack Talk
• Read: Into the Eye of the Storm - The Chilliwack Times (pp: 1, 23)
• Follow Adria on Twitter: @adria_the
• Watch Adria on CBC's 'You Can’t Ask That' – S2E4: Schizophrenia

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