Be Hopeful on Your Journey By Helen Chung

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1 For any Man or Woman Living with Mental Illness Issue 31, May & June 2016 Be Hopeful on Your Journey By Helen Chung Helen Chung, pictured above, is a volunteer at the front desk of FACES. The following is a portion of her story of recovery. My depression started in Grade 12. I had difficulty remembering things. My memory of that year is foggy. I also remember having overwhelming anxiety since I was 11 years old due to emotional and physical abuse in my childhood. Clinical depression hit me in 1984 while I was in second year medicine. I didn t know what was happening to me, only that I couldn t get out of bed and go to class. I was psychotic as well. I had to withdraw from medical school because I unconsciously knew I couldn t finish. In a rage my father kicked me out of the house, and I ended up in a Salvation Army crisis shelter full of drug addicts and ex-inmates. It was pure survival back then. Three months later my father died. I didn t realize I had a mental illness until I landed in the psych ward in 1992 and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I was paranoid, very withdrawn, and severely depressed. That year, I also got into Friends Housing, a mentally ill housing Be Hopeful...continued on p. 2 Editor: Jo-Ann Paley INSIDE Be Hopeful continued.... P.2 Partners In Awareness.... P.2 Friendship In a New Land, Qualities of Friendship & Favorite Memories of Mother s Day P. 2 Peer Support comments & Women s Group Activities in pictures plus comments on Mother s Day cont.. P.3 H.O.P.E.S. Support Group..P.4 Voice Hearers Support Group..P.4 Family Support Group..... P.4 Honest, Open, Proud... P.5 Information Session for Newly Diagnosed Loved Ones..... P.6 MSS Peer Support Group Schedule... P.7 MSS Women s Program Schedule.....P. 8 If you would like to send something in for this newsletter please your submission to: Karen@mss.mb.ca or send it to The Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, Fort Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1C4 Message from the Editor We reserve the right to change the formatting of work received but we will not change the meaning of any work submitted.

2 Page 2 Be Hopeful.. cont. from p.1 complex in St. James. That made me happy because I was on welfare and I couldn t otherwise afford a nice apartment. I lived there for seven years and met a lot of mentally ill people. I befriended some of them and met my common law husband there. He was a great person. It wasn t until nine years ago that I was re-diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Because of my Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) worker and my psychiatrist, who became mentors, I came to accept my diagnosis and learned to trust people again. My doctor, who put me on new medication and gave me therapy, suggested I start volunteering. You need something positive to focus on, he said. In September of 2008 I started volunteering at the front desk for Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba. This position gave my life structure, a sense of time passing, confidence, self-esteem, and purpose. I also realized I wasn t alone in my struggles. About four years ago, my friend showed me how to make jewellery. I started making it and have had modest success selling it and doing repairs. It was great working with my hands again. I trained in classical piano for 13 years and I also have an Honours B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) degree from Queen s University which I m very proud of. The first half of my life was spent getting ill and recovering but now I have recovered to the point where I want to work part time or go back to school. In my recovery, I have gotten in touch with my anger, let myself shed tears and grieve, and done lots of journaling. I ve had lots of healing of past traumas. Borderline personality disorder gets better with age. Therapy and meds are very important initially, but symptoms lessen as you get older. I used to tell people I was a borderline but now I tell people I have a condition called borderline personality disorder. It s not all of who I am. I ve grown a lot and my moods are now stable, not what I used to call a roller coaster ride. I am very grateful for FACES and all the people in it. In the MSS Women s Writers Group people wrote about friendship and Mother s Day. This is what some of the women had to say. My mother had a nice home and we ate lots of fish. My father was a fisherman. By Gloria Taylor Partners in Awareness A peer support group made up of interesting dynamic professionals with schizophrenia. Receive support from those who understand! You Don t Have to Do It Alone! 4 Fort Street, Winnipeg Next Meeting Thursday, May 12, Room E 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Contact: Sponsored by: Friendship in a New Land Friends are any people besides your own family in the community, society, or country. For me as someone from another land friends helped me to build a new life in a new country with a different culture, language and especially the weather that is completely different from my homeland. We can survive here in the country we took as our second homeland besides our own homeland. I always like to say thanks to these helping hands since I came here in 1979 as a refugee. That means under stateless category. I had no where to go, no where to live, and no where to stay. Inside Canada thanks for ever. By Hein Tran Qualities of a Good Friend A good friend is someone you can trust and depend on. They will be there for you no matter what the situation may be. They are there when you need a shoulder to cry on, when you need advice and there for you to support you. Favorite Memory Of Childhood and Mother s Day When I was young I used to like going to the beach with my family. I remember my mother being so peaceful as she swam in the lake. I also remember baking Christmas cookies with my mom. She was a good cook. I wish I could still talk to my mom now. I miss her. She passed away 20 years ago, but thankfully I have good memories of her. By Joanne Baranoski

3 Page 3 On April 20th Dr. Michael Eleff came to speak to the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society Peer Support group. Dr. Eleff is a psychiatrist who works with the Schizophrenia Treatment Education Program (STEP) at the PsycHealth Centre in Winnipeg. Dr. Eleff answered questions from group members. Dr. Eleff said there is no cure for schizophrenia. However, there is hope for recovery. Some people need more doses of medication because their liver is more active. Doctor Eleff cautioned about mixing natural remedies with prescribed medications. Dr. Eleff is retiring from STEP at the end of June. We thank him for his informative visits to the MSS Peer Support Group over the years. Peer Support group members were asked what programs they enjoyed most in the last couple of months. Many people liked the movie, The Martian, and others enjoyed the games day and movie day. The MSS Women s Group members showed off their creative talents at Arts & Crafts day on April 14, 2016 by painting flower pots as a sign that spring is on the way. Mother s Day is special to me because my youngest niece's birthday is the day before Mother s Day. Some years it s even on Mother s Day. I left Sara Riel just before she turned a year old, at the beginning of May. I always enjoy seeing the green grass and green on the trees at this time of year and the warmer sun and longer days. I always have more energy in the spring.

4 Page 4 for young people living with psychosis and schizophrenia If you are a person between 15 and 30 and are living with psychosis and schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder, H.O.P.E.S. or Hope and Opportunity through Peers, Empowerment and Support might be a place for you! 4 Fort Street, Winnipeg First Thursday of the Month 4:00 pm 5:00 pm Contact: the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society at FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP For families and friends of those experiencing schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychosis. The Last Tuesday of every month Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m Schedule May 31 Sept 27 June 28 Oct 25 July 26 Nov 29 Aug 30 Dec 27 Multipurpose Room For more information contact or info@mss.mb.ca

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6 Page info@mss.mb.ca An Information Session for Newly Diagnosed Loved Ones and Their Families Recently Experiencing Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder or Psychosis This 90 minute session will include learning about: Schizophrenia Schizoaffective Disorder Psychosis Recovery Mental health services Maintaining your own health Manitoba Schizophrenia Society services Meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m Fort Street in Winnipeg *This is an excellent gateway to other MSS Services.

7 Manitoba Schizophrenia Society 4 Fort Street Winnipeg, MB Phone: Need to talk to someone about your life with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder? Then consider attending the MANITOBA PEER SUPPORT GROUP FOR MEN AND WOMEN On Wednesday afternoons SCHEDULE FOR MAY & JUNE 2016 Meeting Time: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM (Unless otherwise indicated) Page 7 DATE ACTIVITY MAY 4 Humour Day 11 Games Day in the park (weather permitting) RAIN PLAN: GAMES INSIDE 18 Speaker: Barbara Maddin Employment and Living with Schizophrenia 25 Crisis Response Services in Winnipeg JUNE 1 Dealing with Depression 8 General Discussion & Planning 15 Movie Day 22 Walk to The Forks 29 Tour to be confirmed

8 Page 8 WOMEN S PROGRAM SCHEDULE MAY /JUNE 2016 Meetings are held on Thursday afternoon from 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM at 4 Fort Street (FACES) although sometimes we go on outings. Any women living with a mental illness are welcome to attend. Occasionally we are out of the office for an activity so please call to confirm your attendance at MAY ACTIVITY 5 Writers Group & Planning - Theme: Mother s Day 12 Healing Power of Humour 19 Dealing with Fear & Anxiety 26 Bowling at Dakota Lanes 1085 St. Mary s Road Please be there by 1:15 p.m. Bus 14 from down town JUNE 2 Writers Group Theme: Lilacs & Spring Flowers 9 Dealing with Depression 16 Games Day 23 Walk to The Forks Rain Plan Walk in The FACES Mall 30 Picnic Potluck Lunch in the Park (weather permitting) - GROUP WILL START AT 12:30 for this week only