Caroline North

“Not exactly. I mean, sometimes I hear static or ringing. And occasionally I hear whispering, but it’s not like I can make out any of the words.” I always attributed these things to my overactive imagination, but the problem was the instances were increasing in frequency and severity. I was in trouble. I knew it. I reached out to Rachel for help, foolishly wanting her to tell me everything would be fine. That wasn’t going to happen.”
― Ann E. Jeffers, Can You Hear the Music?: My Journey Through Madness

“We are not alone. But we desperately need one another. We need to share our stories. We need comradery and a unified movement. As many of us have found out the hard way, none of us can fix these diseases alone. None of us, rich or poor, can insulate and protect our family members from psychiatric disorders. I’ve met billionaires who are helpless to get their ill children out of jail. I’ve met the most powerful public health officials who have helplessly watched their siblings die on the streets. The richest among us can’t buy medicines that don’t exist; the cleverest person can’t find a bed in a hospital that lies in ruins; the smartest doctor can’t unravel the riddle of these poorly understood brain diseases. We can only solve this together, as an outspoken, unified, undeterred, and unashamed community.”
― Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, Bedlam: An Intimate Journey Into America's Mental Health Crisis

“Moreover, for all I knew, everyone saw or heard things that were not there. This was the only perspective I’d ever had. How was my experience any different from the person who thinks she hears the phone ringing when she is in the shower, or the person who sees an object move in the corner of her eye? The mind plays tricks, doesn’t it? I figured hearing voices and seeing dead bodies were signs my mind was a little more imaginative than most. I didn’t realize these were beyond the limits of what might be considered a normal human experience.”
― Ann E. Jeffers, Can You Hear the Music?: My Journey Through Madness

“In the parking lot, I stared at the slips of paper Dr. Park had handed me. The confirmation of the diagnosis by a second doctor brought with it a grave finality. It was as if the gavel had fallen. And my verdict came with a life sentence. A lifetime of illness without a cure, one which brought isolation, shame, and an endless supply of medication to numb my being. Sure, I had had symptoms of bipolar disorder for as long as I could remember. And looking back now, I could also see symptoms of psychosis at various points in my life. The paranoia, the distorted thinking, the startling images, the occasional voice—they had been there since I was a teenager. However, I never had a name for it. Knowing it was psychosis changed the game completely. It was only a matter of time before I’d be locked up on the psych ward in a hospital gown with the rest of the psychotic people.”
― Ann E. Jeffers, Can You Hear the Music?: My Journey Through Madness