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Surviving schizophrenia leads youth into mentorship by Abigail Cukier Special to the Beaver 31 | Thursday, May 21, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Alec Mahoney had good friends and a loving family. When he started feeling depressed, he didn't know why. He just kept feeling worse and worse, until one day, the Grade 9 student attempted suicide. Alec was hospitalized for five weeks. But after that, his depression turned to psychosis. "I would be at school and see people laughing and think they were laughing at me. I would think teachers were talking about me and doing things behind my back," said Alec, now 18. "I started hearing a woman talking inside my head. She would say my name over and over. She would comment on everything I was doing. If I opened the door, she would say `he is opening the door,' If I poured coffee, she would say `he is pouring coffee.' "To me, it was all very real. I felt like everyone was watching me drown and there was nothing they could do about it. I was too deep." Then there were two voices. They would talk to each other about Alec and tell him people were following him. They convinced him he was involved with a conspiracy and the Catholic Church was monitoring his thoughts and poisoning his food. While Alec mostly stayed inside, when he went out, birds chirping sounded to him like laughter and like they were telling him to jump Alec Mahoney, 18, is pictured with his mom Angela Rea-Mahoney. They credit the Schizophrenia Society of Ontairo (SSO) Halton-Peel chapter for helping them cope with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. | submitted photo off bridges or set himself on fire. "It was horrific," said Alec's mom, Angela ReaMahoney. "We just wanted him to stop suffering. We could see it was so painful for him. He was so frightened and we couldn't help him. "If you look at photos of Alec then, you can see it in his face. He was scared." Rea-Mahoney credits the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) ­ Halton-Peel Region with helping the family cope. "We tried to tell him that the things he believed weren't true. But the SSO helped us realize that was his reality at that time and gave us different ways to support him. We had no idea at all," she said. "The family groups also helped see what other families went through and to hear their strategies. While Alec was getting clinical care, the SSO helped us be able to support him." Over two years, Alec was hospitalized four times at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and McMaster Children's Hospital while doctors tried to figure out his diagnosis. It was first thought to be depression or anxiety, but Alec's psychosis was a symptom of schizophrenia. They tried many medications and treatments. They finally tried a medication that is a last resort due to its serious side effects, which causes the body to have a severely lower white blood cell count, making a person prone to serious infection. Alec is still on the medication and his white blood cell counts are monitored regularly. "After two to three weeks, I was feeling better. It worked miracles. It totally saved my life," Alec said. His school, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School, took him back and so did his friends, who had remained close with his twin brother, Jack. "It was weird to realize that everything I thought I knew was not true at all. I was also lonely because I didn't realize I had been socially isolating myself." see Peace on p.32 Local Events Find Fin WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY Halton Community Resource Fair 2015 Featuring agencies showcasing their programs & services for people of all ages & stages in life. A great opportunity to learn more about the services offered in your community. Tuesday, May 26, 2015 1:00pm - 7:00pm Featuring Profit, Non-Profit & Charitable Organizations Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School 3040 Tim Dobbie Drive, Burlington (West of Appleby, North of Dundas) >> Providing Information on: · · · · · · · · · · Disability and/or Special Needs Services Assistance Programs Education Services Newcomer Services Counselling Services Employment Services Mental Health & Addiction Services Recreational Programs Seniors' Services And many many more! For more info: Sandra Lynch: lynchs@hdsb.ca Website: http://goo.gl/EV5D0n @HaltonCResFair #HaltonCommunityResourceFair >> ALL WELCOME FREE Admission & Parking ASL Interpreter and Personal Care Attendant Available Door Prizes Every Hour CLNH LUNCH BOX CAFE Offered in Partnership by: www.insidehalton.com