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Success Stories
Most of my life, I couldn’t put a finger on it, but I felt a bit different from my family, friends, and classmates. I remember feeling social anxiety, paranoia, psychotic, suicidal, and depressed. I was also hearing voices along with feeling ups and downs. When these emotions came, I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to.
From the ages of fourteen to nineteen, my symptoms were getting a lot stronger. The symptoms alienated me from my friends and family. Instead of the symptoms coming once a month, they came more frequently. After everything I went through, I decided to go and find help.
I admitted myself to the hospital. I stayed in there for three weeks. Before I left, the doctor referred me to the Canadian Mental Health Association. It was one of the best moves of my life. The first times I went to the CMHA, I was terrified. I believed that they were going to put me in the hospital, but not by my choice. I was wrong. They sat me down with a counsellor. The counsellor was so helpful. We talked about how I felt, and what kind of options I had. One of those options was the Early Psychosis Intervention Program. The EPI Program had just started—I was their first client.
This was the beginning of the happiest years of my life so far. My counsellor came to see me every day that I needed him, no matter how big or how small my problem was. They showed me how to think positively, and by doing this, my mental health went up by 25%. The next thing on the list to do was to pick a one year plan on what I wanted to accomplish. I decided to go back to school. Now, I am in school, and will graduate on June 25, 2009. My next step is college in September. EPI has helped me the whole way.
I can tell you one thing—if it wasn’t for CMHA, along with the EPI Program, I would not be here today. Take a chance and go see them. It changed my life for the best. They have done so many things for me that I lost count. The staff truly cares and will help you with anything.
~Thomas
