Without sounding rude, Jo Carr is a pretty average woman. The bespectacled, middle-aged blonde has lived in Harpenden for 15 years with her husband and son, has a nice circle of friends and works part-time as an administrator.

And 30-years-ago she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Until now it’s something she only told to those closest to her as she feels there is wide spread prejudice against the illness and just a few years ago was shunned by a work colleague after revealing her condition.

“She shrank away,“ says Jo, “and it made me think how worse it could be to tell everyone.

“In a split second I became untouchable according to society even though I had never done anything wrong in my life.

“I’m lucky my husband supports me and I work part-time, but for so many people they are on their own. In a way, I can understand why schizophrenics are not really able to live a normal life.“ But the 52-year-old feels now is the time to speak out, to show she does lead a normal life, and has taken the brave step of declaring her condition publicly and writing her first novel Possession, which draws on her experiences.

It is available through Chipmunka, the mental health publisher, owned by Jason Pegler and endorsed by Stephen Fry, who has bipolar disorder.

Jo says: “I hope to achieve some sort of recognition that I’m a good writer. I would like people to read it and have a little think about mental illness. One in four people are diagnosed throughout their lifetime with some sort of mental illness and I would like people to become more aware of it.“ The story follows a young woman who imagines her late father has infiltrated her mind and her desperate journey following his ’possession’ takes her into psychiatric hospital and beyond.

Jo started writing it while “suffering“ after her own father died five years ago, but says it is in no way an autobiography.

“The character isn’t my father and I’m not Anna. It is entirely fiction, but some of it does drawn upon my experiences of suffering from schizophrenia.

“Because I’m well, and feel I’m intelligent and articulate, I wanted to have a voice about it.

“We don’t all go around assaulting members of the public.“ Jo says the condition is grossly misunderstood by the public, referring to the recent furore surrounding the deaf signer at Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

“The press has shocking ideas about schizophrenia,“ she says, “and I don’t believe everyone suffering from that illness is incapable of living a normal life.“ Jo, who was born in Guildford, moved around a lot as a child because of her father’s job and when she was 15 her parents got divorced and she moved to Basingstoke with her mother.

She says: “That was a very difficult time and I’m not sure if that’s when I started developing it.“ For years she suffered delusions and paranoia, but had no idea what it was and was not diagnosed until a crisis moment when she went missing from her mother’s home.

“I disappeared back to London for a week and was living a dangerous life. It was very, very nasty. Lots of dangerous and potentially life threatening things happened to me during the early days because I hadn’t been diagnosed.“ After a short stay in hospital, she started taking medication and after a few years of adjustment says she is now “absolutely fine“.

“Friends say you wouldn’t know I have it.

“I’m stable now and found that I want to tell people.“  

Possession is available as an e-book at www.chipmunkapublishing.co.uk

SCHIZOPHRENIA FACTS:

Doctors describe schizophrenia as a psychotic disorder,  meaning sufferers can’t tell their own intense thoughts, ideas, perceptions and imaginings from reality.

The exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown but it is believed the condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

It is one of the most common serious mental health conditions. About 1 in 100 people will experience schizophrenia in their lifetime, with many continuing to lead normal lives.

Schizophrenia is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35. Men and women are equally affected.

There is no single test for schizophrenia. It is most often diagnosed after an assessment by a mental health care professional, such as a psychiatrist.

It is important that schizophrenia is diagnosed as early as possible, as the chances of recovery improve the earlier it is treated.

Information and help is available at www.rethink.org or www.mind.org.uk