Written by Taylor Jones. I remember my ex looking at my pills, and taking them away from me, like you would take candy away from a child. "You don't need these." he told me. "Crazy people need these," which in hindsight, was hilarious, because as frequently as he called me crazy, it was only [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. I never used to think of myself as a cutter; I used to take kitchen knives and drag them along my skin, fantasizing about what it would feel like. Sometimes when I would be upset I would simply press the knife against the knife against my skin, not in a slicing [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. The first time I got intensive help for my mental health was when I was arrested; my options were jail, or going to the mental facility at my local hospital. My first choice wasn't the mental hospital. I didn't want people to think I was crazy, and I was worried the [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. The first time I thought about killing myself was after my first adoptive mom died; or at least that's the first time I remember thinking about it. I was living with my biological mom at the time, before I would be placed into foster homes. I didn't know what I [...]
By Michelle Hammer Having Schizophrenia and making it through college is not easy, but I had Lacrosse. Playing Lacrosse in college saved my life. It did. I know some people won't get it. But being an athlete meant something important to me. It made me feel needed. I felt like people depended on me. I [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. At the age of 23 I can tell you (begrudgingly) that I have worked for 18 different employers in the past 4 years. Some jobs were seasonal, some jobs were not a good fit, some jobs I quit, and only one I was actually fired from. However, I have gone [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. Yesterday, I got to witness first hand the issue with budget cuts, when my intake for a psychiatric treatment center was cancelled, due to the doctors not being able to accept more patients. Something I had been planning for for weeks, something I was ready for, and something I put [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. When I was younger, back in high school, I was known as a drama queen. I wore this title with pride, because I thought this was recognition for wanting to be a Broadway star. I thought my classmates had actually noticed my work on stage, or recognized my passion for [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. Dating with a mental illness isn't always easy; between mood swings, and sex drive changes, it can be a whirlwind of emotions, that usually results in heartache. Sometimes, however, you meet someone who can keep up with your emotions, who helps balance and regulate your thoughts, and who can make [...]
Written by Taylor Jones. I've always been very open about my mental illness; and I know that's not a common thing. I've made public statuses, blog posts, and announcements. I think I told my entire friend group the day I got out of the hospital in high school about my suicide attempt right at [...]
Every year we make promises to ourselves to start doing things January 1st; work out more, make more money, travel somewhere. And while all of these are great goals, we tend to let them go by February, and go back to being the our old selves. What we tend to forget (aside from keeping our [...]
There are a lot of big debates in the world of mental illness. What's better, holistic care or big pharma prescriptions? Assisted suicide or more intensive counseling? And of course, does mental health really exist (let me answer that with a big, fat yes). But as I've adventured into motherhood (and my 20's) I've [...]
The Holidays are always a special time of year. Families and friends are celebrating, media seems to be a lot more jolly and delightful, music sounds like nostalgia and happiness. However, as much as it's "the most wonderful time of the year," it can also be a horror show to a lot of people; [...]
It’s October in Kentucky, and temperatures are falling. The sun begins to fall a lot earlier compared to July. Many individuals struggle with a mood that might begin to fall as well. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been recognized since the 1980’s but thankfully, it continues to become more prominent in news and health magazines. [...]
Once again it's October 10, which means it's World Mental Health Day. This is a day that mental health is to be recognized, and people can speak out about their experiences. As a mental health advocate you'd expect me to be excited about this day, where people are speaking up, right? The answer is yes [...]
Since becoming a mental health advocate I've received a lot of uplifting messages. A very popular message I've received is that people are keeping me in their prayers, or that they will pray for me. Although I don't believe in most of these people's God, I appreciate it. I used to go to church, and [...]
*NOTE: ALTHOUGH THIS IS A POST ON HELPING OTHERS WHO ARE SUICIDAL, THIS POST DOES NOT APPLY TO SOMEONE WHO IS ACTIVELY TRYING TO END THEIR LIFE. IF SOMEONE HAS A PLAN AND CONFESSES TO YOU, PLEASE SAVE THE MESSAGES AND CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY SO THEY CAN BE ASSISTED BY PROFESSIONAL CARE. ALTHOUGH THEY MAY BE MAD [...]
Hi, I'm Clayton Paz. It is not my full name but it's half haha. I have suffered from anxiety since I was a kid. My anxiety peaked in 2011, when my father was in the hospital and was dying. I was trying to be strong but I blew up the next year (2012). [...]
I’ve come out of closets before. For instance, I came out as bisexual when I went away to college. I made a big deal out of it, announcing on Facebook, quoting Lady Gaga, without talking to my family first. I thought I would get backlash from some people, so I was hoping the power [...]
I am proud to announce that Schizophrenic.NYC's newest staff blogger is Taylor Jones. What the Tagline "Don’t Be Paranoid, You Look Great" did for me. - by Taylor Jones My mental illness has made me feel a lot of things; anger, mania, sadness, even suicidal. But one of the main things I feel with mental illness [...]
I am proud to introduce Schizophrenic.NYC's guest blogger, Taylor Jones. Finding the Right Psychiatric Treatment Finding the right psychiatric treatment is like finding your soulmate; you think it doesn’t exist, until you put a little effort in, and then you surprise yourself. However, it’s a little harder than falling in love. Because with mental illness, [...]
Check out this great feature about Michelle, the founder of Schizophrenic.NYC in the literary society HaphazardCoffee. "It is my pleasure and honor to introduce to you Michelle Hammer, the CEO and founder of Schizophrenic NYC, a clothing line for the mental health community. I fell in love with this shirt that I came across when scrolling [...]
Check out this guest post by Whitney Saleski of The Stanley Sessions! My name is Whitney Saleski. In this photo, I am standing next to my incredible mother, Lisa. We are from Dayton, Ohio. In October of 2014, my father, Stanley Saleski--a major league scout for the San Francisco Giants--killed himself while away on business [...]
Our founder, Michelle wrote a story about one time where she experienced a very offensive moment selling her merch in NYC. Michelle is the founder of Schizophrenic.NYC, a fashion label that benefits the city of New York’s mentally ill homeless. She also suffers from Schizophrenia and knows first hand the stigma associated with mental illness. Here [...]
Stigma Fighters : Michelle Hammer Talking to myself This is hard to explain and I’m not really sure how to do it but I want to explain what it’s like when I talk to myself. Everyone talks to themselves…well a little bit, but not like me. Not like how I do it. They don’t feel [...]
