a schizotypy introduction

I struggled with mental health issues for many, many years. They have been compounded by a stubborn insistence on "figuring it out myself." Over the last few years, I have finally started making progress, and I'm mostly healthy, happy, and more understanding.

Over the last few months, I've been diving back into psychology. I landed on some testimonials from patients describing their experiences with psychosis and schizophrenia. It finally fit.

An entire world of understanding opened up (and it feels almost embarrassingly obvious in hindsight). I see it as a thread through all of my struggles, I see it in several generations of my family, I see it everywhere.

What a relief.

The final piece of the puzzle was the O-LIFE Questionnaire. I took the short version, which has four subscales of schizotypy behaviors. I'm going to start here by going over these four types and how they impact my life, then use this place as an outlet for creativity.

I scored higher than average in all four schizotypy categories, placing me squarely on the spectrum. Thankfully, I have enough security, stability, and support in my life that I lead a fairly normal life. My mental health has been a struggle for so long that it’s bordered on an obsession, though. This helps, brings me peace and gives me tools to work on things.