As we ate sticky rice and seaweed fish soup, Aida told me the good news: in Singapore there’s another name for schizophrenia. The name is not easily translated into English, but it means “violin with a broken string.” My new friend Aida is one of the first women to be ordained as an Anglican priestContinue reading “Broken Strings”
Category Archives: Mental Illness
Breaking the Silence
We met at Taco Bell during a rainstorm. My brother and I grabbed a bite to eat before attending a program that night hosted by NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness). After eating burritos and a Mexican pizza, we headed to Windermere Union Church for the program. This was their fourth year hosting the annualContinue reading “Breaking the Silence”
Don’t Stop Living
I was on suicide watch for someone who was thousands of miles away. After hanging up the phone, I couldn’t stop thinking about what my father said. From his words and from the sound of his voice, I knew that his despair was so immense, so consuming; my father lost his desire to live. IContinue reading “Don’t Stop Living”