In his book Assessing, Diagnosing and Treating Mental Health Disorders, Taylor (2015) shared a striking account:
“Violence may also happen if the hallucination alters the way someone else is perceived.”
He described a young man living with schizophrenia who suddenly struck his psychiatrist during a session. Later, the young man explained that, in his mind, the psychiatrist’s face had transformed into that of a devil. In that moment, he wasn’t attacking his doctor — he was defending himself from what his brain told him was danger.
This story is a sobering reminder that mental illness can distort perception and reality itself. A brain affected by schizophrenia can make the familiar seem threatening, turning care into confusion, and people into imagined enemies.
Behind such actions are not “bad” people — but individuals whose minds are at war with themselves.
As a community, we must respond not with fear or judgment, but with understanding, trauma-informed care, and access to consistent treatment.
We need awareness, empathy, and early intervention — because many living with schizophrenia can lead stable, meaningful lives with the right support.
Let’s keep speaking up about mental health — not just for awareness, but for compassion, policy change, and safety for all.
🕊️ Understanding saves lives. Stigma destroys them.
#MentalHealthAwareness #Schizophrenia #TraumaInformedCare #CommunitySupport #CompassionInAction #MentalHealthEducation #BreakingStigma