When Linea was first placed on medication, as a 15 year old, she “hated it”. The meds “numbed her out” and as a teen she did not want to think of herself as “mentally ill”.
Over the years she has come to believe she needs the medication to keep from harming herself. Linea has also found Electroshock Therapy to be effective in keeping her safe. She mentioned that her dad was surprised and upset when he first learned she was doing ECT.
Even though her medication and ECT are keeping her safe she does not want to be on them when she starts her family. She is troubled by the fact that even though ECT is much improved over what we saw in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, she is beginning to notice an effect on her memory. Linea tell us, “I wish I knew I would be ok without meds and ECT but I don’t feel safe without them right now.” She will use them until she finds other options.
Linea’s dedication to social justice and what she is doing with her books and presentations to fight stigma, all while trying to manage her disorder, is truly amazing.
