Stuart Baker-Brown's Everest Blog

Promoting Positive Schizophrenia.

For your enjoyment. Buddhist Child in Contemplation taken By Stuart Baker-Brown 2005 Kathmandu.

One of the things I try and do in my life is promote Positive Schizophrenia and this includes not only wanting to climb Everest but working with the Arts. I wish to help prove we can all be greater than our diagnosis of schizophrenia and the diagnosis is only 'part of the person' and not the whole.

I have become very interested in photography since visiting Nepal and the Himalayas. The Mountains and people represent an exciting far away land, an extreme wonderful land, that has been forgotten in time. The Kingdom of Nepal and the Himalayas are very precious to me. They represent a way of life and values I sometimes long to find in the UK.

I wish to share my travels and my photography with many, to inspire and bring some joy to those who wish to share my experiences and to show I am more than the labels and misconceptions attached to schizophrenia!

I believe many people with schizophrenia have strong intelligence and strong perception, probably too much perception of the world which surrounds them and most definitely are a people who are rarely recognised for the talents and creativity they can truly possess.

This photograph represents to me the understanding, beauty and peace of Buddhism. The understanding and peace I long for, as someone who is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

I hope this photograph will give some pleasure to all who see it.

Stuart Baker-Brown. www.onemansmountain.com

Seroquel and Me.

Finding the right medication not only helped my life but saved my life.

My road to recovery has been a long road, in which, I have learnt many things. I have changed my perception of schizophrenia over the years and do truly believe that this illness if nurtured successfully and understood successfully, can be extremely creative and powerful.

I have experienced all the destruction of schizophrenia and have lived with the symptoms day after day, month after month, year after year.

My illness has taken away my life and replaced my world with fear, misunderstanding, which has caused loved ones, family and society to keep their distance from me.

The illness has taken away my self worth, my value in society, and has left me on unequal terms in life, where many people view me as troublesome, someone who should be avoided, rather than seeing the real me, the caring, capable good man I strive to be…

Nowadays, I live with very little symptoms. This may be because of the natural progression of my illness…its had its day…It could also be down to the importance of, after so many years, finding a medication that truly worked with me. Seroquel.

Since I have been on Seroquel, I am starting to find myself in a very positive position in life. I recognise strongly that without finding the right medication, I wouldn’t be in this fortunate position.

I wouldn’t be able to think about one day climbing Everest.

Seroquel has helped to control my symptoms much better than any other medication. Having control of my symptoms has opened up a new life to me.

Having my symptoms controlled helps me to become a photographer, helps me to travel to the Himalayas, helps me to be on more equal terms in life again. And re-opens doors that were tightly closed.

I used to think that medication for mental illness, took away emotion, oppressed thoughts and feelings, and was a mental straight jacket…but I now recognise that the right medication can give back life where life was lost.

I live with very little side effects. Almost none. Other medication took away motivation, caused me to have severe side effects, huge weight gain, memory loss, shakes, amongst other things.

These side effects made me feel emotionally unwell, reminded me I had a severe mental illness and I felt that I had to deal with a separate illness to my schizophrenia.

I believe strongly in greater choice with medication and that psychiatry should work far more closely with the patient in understanding the patients true needs.

It took me a long while to get a change of medication and find the correct medication which truly worked with me.

Finding the correct medication has changed my life, helped me to function and has put me back on more equal terms not only with life but myself.

I can not stress the importance, as a patient, of finding correct medication. Its of the 'utmost' necessity in helping the sufferer regain control of their life and can only offer much needed mental well-being and balance.

SBB.

Please visit www.onemansmountain.com