“There were early signs. I used to have this feeling that I...

“There were early signs. I used to have this feeling that I could manipulate the future. I got lucky at casinos, and I thought it was because I had the power to control events. I was a biology teacher back then. I was married with four kids. I read three books per week. I was only getting a few hours of sleep every night. Then one morning on the bus I had a break from reality. I was speaking to a friend, and I started to understand her in a completely different way. And the things I understood were evil. It was like my entire mental structure had changed. I began to frighten people. I lost all filters. I would say all of the strange things that I was thinking. People thought I was on drugs. I lost my job. My wife went to her mother’s place with the kids. I ended up sleeping on the streets. It took me years to realize I had schizophrenia. I was put in a psychiatric ward for two months. Now I’m taking three different medications. I’m reading books again. I’ve got some self-esteem back. I’m building a relationship with my kids. But I’m still fighting it. It’s always there. It doesn’t come and go. It’s a continuous way of looking at the world that I must keep pushing back against.”

(Cordoba, Argentina)