- 24 May is recognised annually as World Schizophrenia Awareness Day.
- Schizophrenia is a devastating neurological condition that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves.
- Associate Professor Jess Nithianantharajah, who leads The Florey’s mental health research, sat down with Ms Sally Beavis, whose life journey with schizophrenia inspired her to support The Florey’s work.
*Trigger warning: The following story contains themes of suicide.
Stories that drive our search for better treatments
Schizophrenia is a devastating illness of the brain that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Some people who develop schizophrenia will recover completely, while others will find treatment that helps alleviate its debilitating symptoms.
However, roughly 30% of people with the illness live with schizophrenia that remains resistant to treatment, highlighting the need for new therapies and further research.
Associate Professor Jess Nithianantharajah leads The Florey’s mental health research. In honour of Schizophrenia Awareness Day, Associate Professor Nithianantharajah sits down with Ms Sally Beavis, whose life journey with schizophrenia inspired her to write a memoir and support The Florey’s work through a gift in her Will.
Sally speaks on the impact schizophrenia has had on her family, and how she has persevered with her husband, John, who also lives with the disease.
Importantly, Sally expresses the importance of better treatments for mental health conditions like schizophrenia – something we at The Florey are passionate about and striving to achieve.
Jess: Sally, thank you for being here. Would you mind sharing a bit about your story with schizophrenia?
Sally: I was 6 and a half years into my job as an environmental health officer, when schizophrenia struck. I was 36. The onset was sudden – I was up a ladder painting the kitchen ceiling when I heard voices.
I went to my GP, who sent me to a psychiatrist. I saw the same psychiatrist for 26 years, but it was only after 3 years of not having a diagnosis that I asked, ‘Do you think I might have schizophrenia?’ He fumbled with his papers and ummed and ahhed, went red in the face and said “yes”.
My job became increasingly difficult for me because of the cognitive decline. But somehow, I struggled on for another 6 and a half long years until my son left high school.
Sadly, my beautiful boy, Quentin, when aged 20, contracted schizophrenia too – it can be inherited.
His first symptoms were a decline in personal hygiene and strange behaviour. He suddenly became psychotic and lost touch with reality, so he was certified and incarcerated into a psychiatric hospital. I visited him every day without fail.
Quentin was non-compliant with his medication. He was 24 when he died by his own hand. He was my much-adored only child.
However, 2 wonderful things happened in my life years after Quentin’s death.
Firstly, I met my second husband, John, who also has schizophrenia. We met in a psychiatric hospital where I was recovering from a psychotic episode and John was receiving a change in his medication. It was my only hospitalisation for schizophrenia but it was his 23rd – however, he’s never been back since we met!
Secondly, I penned a memoir titled Battling Demons, Finding an Angel. I gave it everything I had and poured my heart and soul into the book. I amazed myself – psychiatrists said the book would be an inspiration for many.
I am donating my payments from the booksellers to The Florey.
J: Thank you, Sally. Can you tell me more about the everyday impacts of schizophrenia, both the seen and the unseen?
S: Well, first of all, John and I both suffer cognitive decline.
Between the 2 of us, we have diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, bowel problems, extreme drowsiness, a drool and illegible handwriting. Weight gain is a permanent problem. And annoyingly, we both have difficulty with technology!
All of these conditions are caused by the illness and our medications for it.
But in spite of schizophrenia, we have still managed to achieve: John with his music and me with my memoir. When we were in hospital, John serenaded me with his own folk compositions on the hospital guitar.
J: What do you think about the importance of finding better treatments for schizophrenia?
S: Better treatments for schizophrenia are certainly required. To get to the root cause would be wonderful, so would better medications.
J: Medical research that tackles the root causes of mental health conditions like schizophrenia is what we really need to develop better treatments and transform mental health care and recovery for people living with schizophrenia.
Finally, what motivated you to give to The Florey?
S: It’s quite simply, really. My beautiful son, my only child, and his subsequent death. It was devastating, and I would love to be able to help prevent other people experiencing what I went through.
My first donation to The Florey was 2 days after Quentin’s passing. It was only $10! I was a lowly paid, part-time telemarketer then. I have continued to support The Florey with donations since that time.
I am passionate about supporting The Florey. I want to prevent other parents from losing their precious children, and for people like John and I, for there to be more effective medications so that we don’t have to suffer such serious side-effects.
I decided I wanted to give more and believed the best way to do this was to leave a gift in my Will to The Florey – which I have done.
