Loved back to sanity – Sean C Harrison chronicles his journey (Part 1)

Having passed what he describes as the “darkness periods” of his life between 2013 and 2018 owing to paranoid schizophrenia, Sean C. Harrison proclaims that the unofficial treatment for mental illness is love.

Though the then 20-year-old was left to fend for himself emotionally after making the decision to remain in Jamaica while the rest of his immediate family migrated just a year after his diagnosis, he admitted that other communities, including the church, stepped in to help cushion what could have been a fatal blow.

In his admission of the negative impact of the absence of close familial ties within the home, Harrison emphasised that his relatives were prepared to make arrangements for him to join them overseas and that they, especially his mother, ensured that his needs were met financially while he remained in Jamaica.

“I was lost at sea many times as I dealt, in many cases alone, with the paranoia [and] confusion, to a large extent, with only outsiders to cushion the effects of being left in a very burdensome situation that I must say, again, I chose to remain in for my very own personal reasons. I do not regret it to this day.

“[However,] this saw me experiencing a number of nervous breakdowns through the years that I overcame each time but with many visits to the psychiatric clinic. We are social beings and need the presence of others, and as a result of being alone, I learned to lean heavily on the support of friends, extended family members, and yes, very importantly, the church community,” he said.

The process of being loved back to sanity would have required much diligence and patience, qualities that were instrumental in buffering the negative effects of what has been deemed the worst recorded mental illness.

Lauding as timely the intervention of the church and the general St Thomas community in which he lives, Harrison said that he was battling other aspects of his life that were weighing him down at the time, worsening his condition. This included having to drop out of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts despite being at the top of his class.

He shared, “There were a number of friends from many religious persuasions, including my home church of the Adventists, who tirelessly prayed for me and counselled me all along the journey, which I credit for having buoyed me up throughout the rigours of life with schizophrenia.”

Of contributing factors to his mental state, Harrison listed a deterioration in what started out as a happy family life, as well as genetics as other relatives are also identified as being mentally ill.

The loss of a sibling was also cited as a factor, as well as what he described as the involvement of the demonic, which, according to him, seemed like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

To be continued.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com