Analysis Of Matthew Arner's A Psychotic Experience

Matthew Arner offers a glimpse into his life as an individual living with a psychiatric disorder in the first person account, A Psychotic Experience. Arner discusses symptoms he experiences that affect his everyday life. He mentions symptoms such as lack of appetite, insomnia, delusions, and suicidal ideations. As the symptoms of his disorder are debilitating, Matthew describes challenges he faces and experiences he unfortunately misses out on as a result of his disorder. He recounts a morning in which he could not go surfing with his brother as they planned because of his poor sleep cycle, a consequence of his insomnia. His experience reading books and watching TV is impacted by delusions that taunt him. For example, he describes feeling like

As illustrated by his writing, Matthew recognizes that he has a mental illness, but his self-view seems to remain positive. He describes his experience in a somewhat objective way. He offers situational details and not many cognitive details. He does not talk about himself in a negative manner, thus, I assume he has a positive self-view. As Arner focuses on his personal experience with a mental illness in the article, he does not emphasize how others view him. He mentions one interaction at a McDonalds in which a homeless man utters to him, “‘Loser working three jobs just to get by’” (Arner 2022). Matthew feels enraged by this harsh comment, but effectively remains calm and does not engage with the stranger. He describes another experience in which he reaches out to his dad, disclosing to him that he is having thoughts of suicide. He adds that his dad picks him up and brings him to the hospital. Although he does not mention how his dad views him, it is evident that he cares about the well-being of his son and is willing to help him get the support he needs. I find it interesting that Arner does not write about how others view him in comparison to how he views himself. While I recognize that he suffers with challenges such as delusions as a result of his mental illness, I would have