I learned about the Neurodiversity Gift Initiative through an international professional organization for mental illness. Learning about Neurodiversity Gifts led me to meet its founder, Joshua Roberts. Joshua Roberts is an academic with a master's degree in theology and a bachelor's degree in psychology, and a peer support specialist who helped create California's next statewide exam.By the time he recovered from his illness, he He has been involuntarily hospitalized six times. Bipolar I disorder. Joshua spent much of his formative years in South Africa and has a multifaceted mental health perspective. He was intrigued.
first episode
I met with Joshua to discuss his thoughts and learn about the meaning he brings to his journey. He talks about his first episode of psychosis, which occurred when he was surrounded by people close to him. Although his experiences were extreme at the time, he found himself in a safe state. “They sort of danced with me until I got up from there,” he recalls.
In fact, research shows that how a person is greeted during their first episode of psychosis often makes a big difference in their recovery. A study that followed patients with early psychosis for up to 18 months found that perceived emotional support was positively correlated with remission (Tempier et al., 2013). The Open Dialogue approach is an intervention that focuses on resourcing individuals' support systems through intensive interventions, often delivered in the home, and has been shown to have very promising initial results in Scandinavian countries. (seikkula et al., 2006).
finding meaning after dark
But the third time he had a mental health episode was in the US, and it turned out to be something completely different. Mania and psychosis cost him thousands of dollars in waste. He found himself under arrest for what the police mistakenly believed was an act under the influence of LSD. “I'm sorry, but this is called bipolar I disorder, and you have a lifelong disability, so maybe you should lower your expectations of what's possible. So I I trusted the authorities, believed them and lowered my expectations. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. My life started to get worse and I had to quit my job because I couldn't work anymore. I had to drop out of all my classes, and really, it was just a downward spiral. Wait a minute until you realize, well, maybe there's a different perspective on this kind of thing. yeah.”
Sadly, dark messages like this are common within our mental health system, especially when individuals are facing serious mental illness. It can be very discouraging when one's abilities change rapidly, followed by a depressing prognosis.
However, this was not the end of Joshua's story. Joshua made his experiences meaningful through his studies and interests. He says: “And when I started investigating these alternative perspectives on mental health, it gave me a sense of meaning and purpose, and I was able to go back to school, where I wrote all these papers on these states of consciousness. Please turn my confusion into a message.”
Joshua's South African heritage proved a particularly useful strength. He talks about the traditional South African concept of extreme experiences. “South Africa has 11 official languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and British. It is also a melting pot of fresh ideas and fresh perspectives. Therefore, one of the modules in Neurodiversity Gifts is 'Beyond Cultural Centrism', where we learn what can be done from different cultures. We explore the Japanese perspective, the Babaylan of the Philippines, and the sangoma of South Africa. ”
Seeing the gems from these diverse perspectives freed Joshua to move toward recovery. In fact, a qualitative study of 15 participants diagnosed with severe mental illness found that many experienced post-traumatic growth. Interviews indicated that many achieved discoveries toward self-acceptance and fulfillment (Wang, et al., 2019). As with other types of suffering, finding meaning in your experience is often the key to healing.
A place for treatment and community support
While some of these improvements may be notable, mental health conditions are often still accompanied by severe pain. Treatment often involves psychiatric interventions such as medication and psychotherapy. Joshua says: “Drugs may have saved my life when I was in the throes of mental illness. I used to think everything was a game, like jumping from white line to white line in the middle of traffic. So, with the right dose and type of medication, you can truly ground yourself and connect with the physical world.'' Since then, Joshua has received support from a psychiatrist. I was able to gradually taper off all my medications and replace them with other approaches.
Still, he recognizes that many people continue to benefit from medication over the long term, and emphasizes that recovery is open to everyone.
Through his Neurodiversity Gift initiative, Joshua seeks to help others build a community of hope and peer support for individuals living with mental health conditions. True to Joshua's own trajectory, this platform explores diverse concepts of mental health across multiple cultures and schools of thought. Community support is a key component of recovery for many people. Many people struggle with loneliness, but connection is strongly associated with happiness. Research has shown that community integration is correlated with several markers of mental health recovery (Jun and Toi, 2020).
Mental illness essentials
Joshua says, “I think we need community-based mental health where people have the time and resources and have mutual projects that they can participate in together through collaboration and creative spaces where people can discover their talents.'' to learn to work in teams within a social ecosystem.”
Post-traumatic growth
Post-traumatic growth includes gems that may be discovered after a traumatic experience. A qualitative study found that 83% of participants who faced significant mental health challenges reported aspects of post-traumatic growth (Slad et al, 2019). This includes a new appreciation for life, self-discovery, an increased sense of well-being, and changes in relationships. Research shows that in parallel to the great challenges posed by mental illness, many people emerge stronger, as reported by those who have experienced other types of trauma, such as cancer survivors . Celebrating this means seizing opportunities for growth rather than glorifying the situation and the suffering that comes with it.
Mental health recovery is possible. Growth is possible. Experiences of mania, depression, and psychosis can be extremely distressing and dangerous. Similarly, many people find meaning in it. Through experience, many people re-emerge stronger than before. Joshua's story gives us hope.
References
Jun, W. H., Choi, E. J. (2020). The relationship between community integration and mental health recovery of people with mental health problems living in the community: A quantitative study. Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health Nursing, 27(3), 296-307.
Seikkula, J., Aaltonen, J., Alakare, B., Haarakangas, K., Keränen, J., Lehtinen, K. (2006). Five-year experience with newly diagnosed non-affective psychosis using an open dialogue approach: Treatment principles, follow-up results, and two case studies. Psychotherapy research, 16(02), 214-228.
Tempier, R., Balbuena, L., Lepnurm, M., and Craig, T. K. (2013). Perceived psychological support during remission: Results from an 18-month follow-up of patients with early episodes of psychosis. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 481897-1904.
Wang, X., Lee, M. Y., and Yates, N. (2019). From past trauma to posttraumatic growth: The role of self in participants with severe mental illness. Social work in mental health, 17(2), 149-172.
