My story
My name is Tami Afriat. My story is inspirational, original and
courageous. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1996 at the age
of 20. I have been treated with Clozapine and do monthly blood tests.
Without treatment, I used to believe that I could write down and say
other people’s thoughts. This is the originality of my experience that
some patients experience as well. It would benefit others with similar
symptoms to hear about mine, as most people that don’t have schizophrenia can’t
understand what we go through on a daily basis. So my personal story
will be discussed
My system
My system is peer supported speaking
and helps teens and adults who are at risk and I offer solutions by my
inspirational talks and with my products. My mood band is very basic and
easy to use. Those who tried it say it grounds and distracts them. My system
also promotes discussion of mental illness in the classroom where we help each
other discuss our issues with openness and by sharing names of products.
Peer support is an effective
system that helps those with mental health as it brings about discussion and
understanding through my speeches.. My
peer supported system, besides the public speaking, is to introduce and give
out a mood bracelet that changes colour when body temperature changes,
grounding and distracting the person.
My invention
Elastocalm promotes calmness in
people who face profound mental issues such as anxiety, depression,
hyperactivity, and schizophrenia. I will be giving these out during my
speeches.
I personally suffer from Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenia and
Real or not real? My ambivalent
feelings towards mental health system
Then my ambivalent feelings towards the mental health system will be
spoken about. Clinicians thoughts being
transmitted into my head which where harmful on their side, yet the
schizophrenia society of Ontario saved my marriage and saved my life.
The stigma within the mental health system and outside the system will
be explored. This includes employment
supports where the system only provides volunteer work not paid work, yet they promise paid work.
My successes by sticking with the medication
I am also married with child.
Which further makes me a great role model. I have
also sold many mood bands and this has been a great success.
I will discuss how my mental illness started when I was 15 years old and
could have been treated back then but it wasn’t recognized as an illness, but rather,
a behavioural issue.
My experience in a mental health facility will be discussed, and how I stick
to my meds now after a negative experience..
I will speak about how I was treated as a mental health survivor when on
my meds and without meds.
The medications and their side effects, and why some people get off
their meds.
Why I went off my medication 20 years ago but now stick to it.
