How schizophrenia changed the whole course of my life

Alice Evans was at university when she developed schizophrenia. She didn’t leave her parents’ house for the next ten years.

Alice Evans is a filmmaker and photographer based in London. You can see her work here.

I started making artwork in the form of photographs and films that expressed in some ways how I was feeling. I could communicate more through those mediums how I was feeling than I ever could in words.

I started volunteering for a local mental health charity which helped me get more skills and experience. They pointed me towards some proper talking therapy which became instrumental in my recovery. Sadly, the organisation had a lot of its funding cut and the branch I was working in was closed, to much dismay from the staff and service users.

I was very lucky though. Before they closed, they helped me apply for an MA at the Royal College of Art and I began to take on some teaching work so that I could enable others to develop their own creative skills. I am now pursuing a PhD.