Jason (Chapter 2)

The haloperidol did its magic
The voices did not disappear completely
But became softer and less malevolent
For the first time in many months
Jason felt a sense of hope
That he can recover from his illness
And fulfil his dream of becoming Singapore's best author
He looked into the mirror
Almost couldn't recognize himself
It has only been a few months
Yet he seemed to have aged a few decades
Schizophrenia has robbed him of his good looks
And in its place a dishevelled man
Dirty, unshaven and all
He remembered that he hadn't bathed
For the past one week
Locked himself in his room for most of the time
Refused to eat and drink
Despite pleas from his parents
They almost called an ambulance
To bring him to mental hospital for admission

He turned on his computer
Logged on to the Internet
His inbox was full
Plenty of unread emails
From classmates and friends
Sending their sincere regards to him
Hoping that he can recover soon
And return to join them in class
He fought back his tears
When he remembered he has missed
A semester of school just like that
All the while when he was paralysed by the voices
The world never stopped revolving around him

He flipped open his textbook
Started reading through the pages
The words seemed so familiar yet so distant
He wondered if he can comprehend the contents
As well as he used to
His heart ached at the realisation
That he is no longer articulate like before
He now has a troubled mind

He closed his eyes
And made a silent promise
That he will not allow his condition
To cripple his life anymore
He read on the Internet
That the voices in schizophrenia
Are caused by dopamine imbalance in the brain
And that haloperidol works
By blocking post-synaptic dopamine receptors
In the mesolimbic pathway
Thus relieving the voices
Having understood the pathophysiology of schizophrenia
He promised himself
From that very day
That he will take his medications as prescribed
To achieve control over his symptoms
He will return to school tomorrow
And start his life all over again
(To be continued)