Sitemap
Elemental

Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

What It Feels Like to Have Schizophrenia

An insider’s perspective on experiencing and treating psychosis

10 min readDec 19, 2019

--

Press enter or click to view image in full size
Photo: Jena Ardell/Getty Images

InIn 2001 May-May Meijer was working as a member of the Committee of Foreign Affairs at the Dutch Labour Party when she was invited to an event attended by the Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander. She recalls one of her colleagues mentioned that the Dutch Secret Service would check everyone who was present at the ceremony.

This was the first in a series of events that triggered May-May to start believing the Secret Service was following her.

It was later — on a trip to Cuba — that things stepped up a notch. May-May recalls her husband mentioning that because it was a communist country, the Secret Service was probably on the streets watching and listening to people.

While on a walking tour, May-May’s husband said they should be careful asking questions about Cuban living standards because the tour guides had probably been told by the government to quell such questions.

Being a member of the Dutch Labour Party and an assistant professor at the Center for Philanthropic Studies at the Vrije University in Amsterdam, May-May couldn’t help herself. She ignored her husband’s advice and asked the tour guide some hard questions about Cuban wages and quality of life.

--

--

Elemental
Elemental

Published in Elemental

Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Michael McKay
Michael McKay

Written by Michael McKay

Writer and podcaster living in rural Australia. Soon releasing a novel, Younger Dryas — youngerdryas.com.

Responses (5)