It's really strange how the mind of someone with a mental illness works! For example, a person experiencing hallucinations (whether it be auditory, visual, tactile, etc.) really truly and honestly believe they are seeing, hearing, or feeling things. For example, one of the patients with schizophrenia kept insisting she was pregnant despite the fact that her pregnancy test was negative. "Who is the father?" and she replied "the angel". She was seen mumbling to herself and when asked "who are you speaking to and where is this person?" she said "the angel and he is always here with me" as she continued to look to the corner of the ceiling. I'm honestly getting the heebee geebes just typing this...
We do have scientific explanations for such bizarre behaviors but it's hard to believe that an imbalance of neurotransmitters (as well as several other factors, all of which are not completely understood) could cause such changes in behavior and delusions and hallucinations that are all so very real to a person...
How do you convince a person that what they're experiencing is not "real" when they are absolutely convinced themselves that it is...

Well obviously we've got medications and psychotherapy and whatnot...but still! crazy!

-Abbie!

(i started writing this last week and forgot to finish..)
Well, winter break has officially come to an end. I had a test today (second day of class) and so it has really sunken in.. bye bye break. It was an amazing one filled with lots of going out but at the same time lots of resting which was very much needed after a long, torturous second semester.

Winter break consisted of...

working a lot, yogurt trips, IAG Christmas karaoke party, Ra Sushi, Yardhouse happy hour, Monster Sushi happy hour, renting a bunch of movies, going out to the movies, LA, Christmas with the family, downtown fullerton (and silly drunkeness), sleeping through the new year, Las Vegas (buffets, penny slots, free drinks, clubbing, jungle woman, shopping), Mammoth (snowboarding for the first time!), and hanging out with family from Australia (up all night playing guitar hero world tour, Melrose, fun car rides) etc.

and now it's back to school.. woo.

you know, although break is a billion times better/funner than going to school i actually kind of missed it. just a little bit. learning is actually exciting sometimes. i'm excited for the new skills we'll be learning such as inserting IVs and doing blood draws. man, i'm really going to feel like a nurse. eeep. scary!

Third semester. One more year! I swear it was just yesterday when i first started. I'm sooo anxious to graduate but at the same time i'm fearful of the real world. I just can't picture me being "grown up". Oh, the time is coming way too soon.

I've been sucking at posting up pictures due to the fact that my computer has gone crazy and my pictures are scattered all over different computers and different hardrives and i can't remember where i've been uploading them! i'll try harder next time.

weird. have i really been a pescatarian for two years now? crazy! i used to LOVE meat. korean bbq, chicken strips, carne asada, etc. and i haven't eaten any of that in two whole years?!

i'm just glad i didn't give up sushi. although if i did, i would be saving a LOT of money considering how often i eat it.. bah. weakness :(

i'll blog about winter break soon enough. it's been really fun and sadly it will soon come to an end. garrrr.