Episode 34 – Zac from London

Zac is 26 from South London. He has been dealing with severe mental health issues since a young man and speaks to us about his struggles with life, work, relationships during this time. He has been diagnosed with Schizoaffective, ADHD, PTSD, Aspergers and BPD. Music: Her Name is Edith – Easton #schizoaffective #BPD #ADHD

00:00:00: Introduction and guest presentation 00:01:35: Starting the conversation about mental health 00:02:08: Early childhood experiences with mental health 00:03:00: Impact of traumatic experiences on mental health 00:04:03: First psychotic break from reality 00:05:06: Dealing with mental health and family reactions 00:06:01: Brief return to normalcy 00:06:49: Regressing into mental health struggles again 00:08:44: Believing in having a spiritual awakening 00:09:14: Pursuit of medical help and diagnoses 00:10:33: Development of strange behaviors 00:13:41: Intensified struggles with mental health 00:14:32: Impact of mother's cancer diagnosis on mental health 00:15:06: Coping with voices and psychosis 00:17:00: Struggling with relationships 00:18:21: Entering the hospital 00:19:54: Connection with other patient 00:24:30: Fear and Protection 00:25:16: Decision to leave hospital 00:25:49: Loss of personal possession and Safety 00:26:57: Discharge and homelessness 00:28:24: Reflection on trauma and hardship. 00:28:49: Speaker's Diagnosis and Experience with Diagnosis 00:29:14: Forgiving and Understanding Situations in Retrospect 00:30:04: Recall of Past Hospital Stays 00:30:49: Different Hospital Experiences 00:31:11: Last Hospital Stay and Experience 00:32:01: Disagreements with Diagnosis 00:33:02: Discharging Self from Hospital 00:33:22: Negative Experiences with Home Treatment Team 00:34:04: Challenges Dealing with Psychosis 00:34:19: Mental Health as a Journey 00:35:09: Discussion on Prevalence of Schizoaffective Disorder 00:35:35: Discussion on Current Secure Mental Health Wards 00:35:48: Experience in Hospital During COVID- 00:37:08: Variation in Quality of Hospital Staff 00:37:18: Fear of Staff due to Lack of Understanding of Condition 00:38:16: Recounting Experience in Different Type of Ward 00:39:22: Belief about Trigger of Psychotic Episodes 00:40:18: Personal Opinion on Trauma and Psychosis 00:41:57: Personal Struggle with Predestined Genes and Trauma 00:42:33: Conclusion of Interview 00:45:07: Struggles with Mania Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.