I’m Luke, originally from Jersey, and
I first moved to the mainland in 2001 to attend university. But from early on I
found it difficult to cope. I knew I could do the courses, but I was unsure of
why I was unable to actually attend the classes. After leaving university I
managed to build a career in accountancy, as an assistant initially, working
for big companies such as Shell and BP. However, I had not realised just how
unwell I was and a massive breakdown meant that I was unable to hold down my
job.
I took some time to go back to the
Channel Islands to sort myself out, but then came back to London and eventually
was diagnosed with Hebephrenic Schizophrenia, which is otherwise known as
‘disorganised schizophrenia’.
It was a horrific time for me. I was
hearing voices, seeing hallucinations and suffering from ‘delusions of
control.’ The voices I heard were describing every physical action I was doing,
making me think that I had no control over my body. These feelings lead me to
believe I was Jesus Christ and that, unless I starved myself to death, the
world was going to do nasty things to my family and murder me. I ended up
sleeping rough whilst walking 101 miles from Poole to High Wycombe, where I was
admitted to hospital. This is where I was finally diagnosed and, although this
was a scary place to be – I didn’t trust the doctors or nurses because of my
illness – it was the start of a period of rehab.
Hebrephrenic Schizophrenia is a
difficult one to deal with. I am on medication, which reduces the effects of
the schizophrenia for me, but I still suffer with it. So the only way to
succeed is to get on with life.
Luke Whilst signed off work I attended
the job centre with my mum, and as I went through the long processes of getting
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Disability Living Allowance, I was
told by my disability support officer that there were colleges around the UK
that specialise in getting disabled people back into work. As a result of this
information I went to Queen Elizabeth’s College for Disabled People (QEC),
which specialises in getting and preparing disabled people for work.
At first I decided to gain some formal
qualifications in bookkeeping. I also started learning how to use an accounting
software package called SAGE, something that’s very sought after in the
accounting world. Although I was making positive steps, each day was painful as
I was still suffering strong effects of the Hebephrenic Schizophrenia. But as
well as studying bookkeeping, I started playing poker and socialising again,
which really helped me relate to people
Wanting to pick up from where I left
off as an accounting assistant, I managed to achieve my OCR Level 2 awards in
Bookkeeping and Accounts, Spreadsheet Processing, and Computerised Accounts. At
QEF there is employment department with employment advisers that work closely
with you. To be honest, they bend over backwards to help with cover letters and
CVs, and contacting potential employers.
After a few months at QEF, my
employment adviser there secured me a period of practical training for two
afternoons a week at a charity called Bond. As a result of my condition,
mornings were difficult, so starting this was a good introduction back into the
workplace. I must have impressed my boss as the placement time was gradually
increased. I was then offered a three month contract, which has recently been
extended even further.
The new job is great. Bond offers
educational courses for NGOs (non-government organisations) and I work in a
range of areas. My manager is well aware of my schizophrenia and we had a
couple of discussions about it when he decided to take me on for fully paid
work.
Schizophrenia and mental illness are
big issues – people end up on the street if they’re not supported. And it’s a
bigger issue than many people think – it’s estimated that one in four people
experience mental illness.
I believe that the general public
should be more compassionate towards people with mental illnesses, and not just
label them as ‘mad’ – that’s old fashioned and shows a total lack of
understanding.
Employers shouldn’t discriminate
either, and people with schizophrenia should be shown in the media in a way
that educates society about the illness. I hope opinions can be changed and
that we can break the silence on mental illness.
"I wish we have the kind of support disabled people in the west have, it would have been amazing".
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