My story
It was 5 AM, and I hadn’t slept all night. Until 2 AM, I was scrolling through reels on my phone, but after that, I didn’t even feel like using it anymore. This was because the day before, October 25th, I had slept through most of the day.
This has now become a habit—sleeping during the day and staying awake at night. Staying up all night does bother me sometimes, but I don’t know what to do about it. I avoid taking medication because I fear I’ll get addicted to it.
I have a condition called schizophrenia, which is a complex mental illness. It involves delusions and hallucinations. I hear voices—a problem that began three years ago when we were living in Gwalior.
It was Diwali, and there was a heated argument between my father and uncle. After the lockdown, my uncle started a grocery business similar to ours, likely instigated by a neighbor. Ever since then, he tried to harm our business by badmouthing us to customers and spreading false rumors. While I was managing the shop, he would make comments aimed at undermining my confidence, and my aunt supported him.
Our family tensions escalated after my grandfather passed away, leading to a physical wall being built in our house, splitting it into two halves. On that Diwali afternoon, I heard my uncle loudly badmouthing our shop to a customer. My father initially confronted him, but the argument intensified, and I had to step in. I’m usually an introvert, but at that moment, I screamed at him with all my frustration built up from days of humiliation. My aunt joined in, and in front of the entire neighborhood, she called me a "psycho." People watched and laughed, enjoying the spectacle.
This moment deeply impacted me. My outburst wasn’t just about the insult that day but a response to the countless insults and frustrations I had endured. Being labeled a "psycho" in front of everyone was unbearable, especially when people knew the real culprits were my uncle and aunt.
After that day, I stopped leaving the house and interacting with others. It felt like people were mocking or laughing at me. This marked the beginning of the voices I started hearing.
Despite several attempts by my father to resolve family issues, we were stuck in Gwalior because our shop was the only source of income. We even tried relocating, but legal issues and frauds caused financial losses, leaving us with no choice but to stay in our divided house.
Over time, the city road-widening project took away a part of our shop's land, reducing its value. Eventually, we sold the house for a much lower price than its worth and moved to Mathura.
After that Diwali, I avoided interacting with my relatives and neighbors. I could sense people judging me. I was unaware that these feelings were early signs of a mental illness. The chaos in my life from 2017 to 2021 became the root cause of my condition.
Even as a child, I grew up in an environment of constant conflict. My father, being the eldest, took on responsibilities to support the family, but my uncle, with a completely opposite nature, never took anything seriously. My father’s grocery shop was successful because of his hard work, while my uncle flitted between various businesses without much success.
During the lockdown, my uncle and aunt started their grocery shop, creating unnecessary competition and conflict. They would open their shop earlier than ours, close later, and constantly try to steal our customers by spreading false information. This behavior tarnished the reputation of both shops.
No matter how hard my parents tried, peace was unattainable. The ongoing disputes left an indelible mark on me. I longed to escape, to find a job and avoid the shop entirely.
By 2020, I started hearing voices—a symptom of my growing mental health struggles. My family’s internal strife, coupled with the external pressures of societal judgment, had taken a toll on me. The conflicts weren’t limited to our family; some relatives and neighbors added fuel to the fire, making the situation worse.
These years of turmoil shaped my struggles, and I’m still trying to navigate through them, hoping for a day when I can find peace and regain control over my life.