My name is Ashleigh Singleton and I was interviewed by reporter Kevin Diakiw about the stigma around mental illness.
Amazingly, my story was featured in The Surrey Leader and on Thursday’s front page of the Peace Arch News.
I am absolutely elated that my story is getting out to people. At first, I was slightly embarrassed to admit that I hear voices telling me to do some pretty terrible things. I really didn’t open up much about it or tell anyone what I was really hearing.
But, as I have lived with schizophrenia, I have learned that I am not alone and there is nothing to be ashamed of. I am so happy that Kevin’s article and my story has made it to such a large audience.
I suffered for two years with these voices and not telling anyone, and I know there are other teenagers and young adults out there that are doing the same.
My hope is to reach out to these individuals and let them know that there is hope, you’re not crazy and you can live a productive and happy life.
It hasn’t been an easy road for me, but I have been blessed with the most amazing father, Mike Singleton, who has literally dedicated his life to learning about mental illness and what I am going through. His support, along with medication, has made me stable and I am far more equipped to deal with my illness.
I hope that many people read about my story and hopefully it reaches people that need help. I would love nothing more than to speak in high schools to teenagers and let them know that they are not stuck in their problems and that there is hope beyond high school. I especially struggled in high school when it became known that I am schizophrenic. I don’t want to see other kids go through that alone or at all.
I want to be a support and a beacon of hope and life to anyone who is struggling with a mental illness. This is because I have been down that road and I know where these people are at. I have experienced the pain of isolation and the anguish of alienation. I want to change that. I feel that I have the necessary tools to make a difference in youth’s lives.
Just a note – a friend of mine phoned me after reading the story in the newspaper. I have known this friend for a long time, and she was blown away by my story and how little of it she really knew.
She was able to open up to me that her dad is bi-polar, something her and her family have not shared with many people. However, my story has given her hope in knowing that there is other people out there that know exactly what her, her dad and her family are and have experienced.
So I thank you for getting my story out there. I hope that together, we can change lives.
Ashleigh Singleton