School Story:
I haven’t been up to the same or similar things in life as most of my former classmates. Much of my life after high school revolved around my mental illness. Not long ago, I recovered from paranoid schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, at 95-99% treated most days. I first became noticeably ill to others in early 1992 and dropped out of the University of Arizona. I was a business major and was just beginning my junior year. I first became ill probably when I was twelve, and then things got progressively worse. After dropping out of college, I spent the next twelve-and-a-half years hallucinating and delusional, because my psychiatrists and family didn’t know how ill I was. I spent a lot of time being depressed and lethargic and not advancing with work and life. Because I was delusional, I would lie to my family and psychiatrist, telling them I was doing fine. I was unaware I had paranoid schizophrenia because of a condition called anosognosia. When I was taken off my very low dose of prescribed medication because my psychiatrist didn’t think I had schizophrenia, I became extremely ill. He didn’t know any better. I was in a horrendous state of mind. In 2004, after an incident with the police, I figured out I had paranoid schizophrenia and began recovery which has happened over many years. For many years, I was on government disability but now I work full time. I am very fortunate to be able to work, especially full time and am on my employer’s medical insurance.
I used to spend a lot of time thinking about my mental illnesses and how it affected me. My life for years revolved around it. Today, I’m focused on other things such as advancing at work and trying to become a full-time writer and book publisher, which to do so full-time is my dream and I believe will happen.
Despite the tremendous and overwhelming challenges, I’ve faced dealing with mental illness, I’m a very happy person. The odds were against me that I would be able to work, especially full-time. I have spent the last almost thirteen years working full-time at a Walmart supercenter currently in the produce and meats departments and write and publish children’s books in most of my free time.
My books have sales around the entire world. My books aren’t stocked in local bookstores, but they can be ordered online at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BN.com, Booksamillion.com and many other online stores.
In addition to writing, I like to play with bb and airsoft guns and N-scale model trains in my free time.
In high school and when I started college, I helped my father with his part-time small business, Richard Carlson Productions, the custom mold making, resin cast reproductions, and prototype development business.
I did not continue with growing the very small business after becoming ill in 1992 because of being delusional (having irrational and grandiose beliefs) which caused me to believe the business wouldn’t go anyplace. It eventually went out of business.
I am single and have no children. I live in Tucson. At present, there is only one person from high school (someone I knew since fourth grade) that I’ve kept in contact with.
http://www.richardcarlson.com/
http://www.sensitiveboys.com/
http://www.survivingschizophrenia.com/
