Lived Experience Forum

[personnumber4]

I've been directed here to try and find some peer support/support groups. I'm 23 and have paranoid schizophrenia. Any advice on where to go or who to contact would be appreciated.

[Everan]

Hi @personnumber4  I have met some good people in 'grow' that have a program to help you recover. I have found it to be a positive experience and have been to the opera house and other social events recently with people from there. I am not sure of many other networks but the people at sane may know. There could be other groups that maybe may know that suit.

[BryanaCamp]

I found grow was like a cult - lots of deranged, gurmpy, old men (I'm a younger woman) who bullied me when I didn't conform to the spirituality dogma and protested when I was pressured to meet with "goals" when none of the grumpy, old men met any of their goals & instead wallowed in lassitude & interita for weeks and months on end. Approach with caution I say.

[Eucalypt]

Hello all @BryanaCamp , @personnumber4 , @Everan 
We can all have such different experiences of a single organisation – even of a single group. Asking others for recommendations or to share their personal experiences can be useful provided you keep this in mind. When sharing your own impressions or experiences it's also useful to remember that the person you are addressing may have a journey that is quite different to your own. Everan, it sounds as though you really value the associations that you've made through Grow – and that's great .BryanaCamp –  obviously you didn't feel that the group was a good fit for you. It sounds really difficult for you and I'm sorry that you had that experience.
Personnumber4 – I suppose my message for you would be that can be useful to approach joining a support group with an open mind and see what it is like for YOU.
Take care.

[jamesle2015]

@Eucalypt I have agoraphobia and anxiety and I am going to see

a psych in a few weeks. Not sure how it will help ...I can't visualise how things

could get better ...I am not able to cope by myself at the moment and haven't been for quite a long time