Elyn Saks - A tale of mental illness…from the inside

Mental illness has always been a subject of fascination since I was very young. I believe nothing is more dangerous than our own minds. Our entire existence is based on how we perceive the world; the mind is the hardrive for how we function, how we think, what we like etc. Now imagine what would happen if this hardrive starts working differently, from other, from what you’re accustomed to.

This TED talk from Elyn, offers a personal insight of her own experience living with mental disease. A true testimonial of what people suffering from psychosis and schizofrenia feels and experiments. Mental disease carries a daunting stigma in this society where victims are perceived as outcasts, they are rejected and feared by many. But perhaps what everyone needs is to be more understanding and empathetic.

“Portray [people with mental illness] sympathetically, and portray them in all the richness and depth of their experience as people, and not as diagnoses.”

“Some people still hold [the] view that restraints help psychiatric patients feel safe. I’ve never met a psychiatric patient who agreed.”