What is life after psychosis like? Stories of three individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT?: Schizophrenia is known as a highly debilitating mental illness, characterized by hallucination, delusions and paranoia. Literature on recovery from schizophrenia has only been emerging in the last three decades. WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: It adds to the growing literature on the first-hand accounts of recovery from schizophrenia. It highlights the strengths of persons with schizophrenia. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSING?: Having a diagnosis of schizophrenia may not be as bleak as it seems. For mental health professionals to see the person behind their patients with schizophrenia. ABSTRACT: "You are not a typical case of schizophrenia." This was the statement by my psychiatrist that sparked the idea of compiling a collection of recovery narratives. Because of its fluid and subjective nature, personal recovery from schizophrenia needs to be understood in the cultural, societal and familial context of its storyteller. Autobiographic lived experience narratives serve to give an unadulterated account of the strength and tenacity of persons in recovery. In this lived experience narrative paper, you will find stories of three unique individuals living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Kurtle (name changed) tells the story of the multiple hats she wears in life. Valerie opens up about her past to shed light on her sense of meaning and purpose today. Ying Ying shares her family dynamics and how it has shaped her as a person. These stories aim to (1) change the way mental health professional relate to their patients, (2) emphasize the critical roles that mental health professionals play in their patients' recovery, and (3) remind mental health professionals to look beyond their patients' illness and see the persons behind the illness. Perhaps, then, recovery will become a typical phenomenon among persons living with schizophrenia.