From Psychosis to Purpose: Alika's Story

The year I turned 21, a number of events in my personal life took their toll on my mental health. I had all these different stresses in my life. In just 12 months, my auntie died, my five-year relationship crumbled, my savings were stolen, and two friends of mine were killed in violent attacks. It all started to overwhelm me, and I began to feel and behave differently.

Looking back now, it's a bit hazy. My mind was buzzing with questions. I couldn't tell the difference between what was reality and what was a dream. I was going through depression, anxiety, manic episodes, self-harm, and voices and illusions in my head. But I kept it all to myself, and over time I became more withdrawn and erratic.

It all came to a head. An ambulance was called. I ended up in the hospital, where the doctors told me that I was experiencing psychosis. What was psychosis? I had no idea. The first time I ever heard about psychosis was when I was going through it.

The Early Intervention Centre really helped me — it gave me space to look at my situation. With professional guidance, I worked through questions which led to a lot of eureka moments. I learned the hard way how important some of the basics are: exercise, sleep, eating well. If you're spiritual, pray or meditate. I realised I was bottling things up because I was scared, but talking about my feelings also helped.

In total, I spent four months in hospital, where I was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was a very scary time, but I was able to pull through thanks to my mother, close family and friends, and the great staff on the ward. My faith, music, reading books and learning new coping strategies really helped too.

I know that a lot of young people — especially young Black men — are moving along a similar trajectory to the one I was on. There's not enough information about the support that's out there. That's why I became a mental health campaigner. My message: you are not alone, and help is available.