I Am Not A Monster: Schizophrenia | Cecilia McGough | TEDxPSU

Cecilia McGough puts a face to schizophrenia and helps empower college students through the upcoming non-profit Students With Schizophrenia.

Cecilia McGough is an astronomer, activist, and writer as a Penn State Schreyer Honors College scholar pursuing a major in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Cecilia is the founder and current president of the Penn State Pulsar Search Collaboratory. She has been participating in pulsar research continuously since December of 2009, co-discovering pulsar J1930-1852 with the widest orbit ever observed around another neutron star, competing in the International Space Olympics held in Russia, and co-authoring her research in the Astrophysics Journal. Cecilia is a mental health activist in fighting against the negative stigma towards mental illness. She is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the soon to launch non-profit Students With Schizophrenia which is the only non-profit in the United States focused on empowering college students with schizophrenia.

[samiksha]

So nice of the Ted crew to change the red circle carpet, which is like their signature, for her. Did anyone notice the "TedxPsu" was also dark/unlit however in most Tedx videos it is usually lit

[topgurl]

As someone who does not have a mental disorder, but always wants to try to understand - thank you for this, ma'am. You're an amazing person.

[bar]

Imagine giving this speech while IT clown was taunting you from the crowd or behind your ear. Strong individual here.

[titandragon]

I have OCD, I have unwanted and intrusive distressing thoughts which never leave me alone. I also suffered a stress induced nervous breakdown, which caused me to have very scary and real hallucinations. I have also felt ashamed to tell people about it. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤️

[georgerobins]

God, having schizophrenia and doing a presentation like this is so brave. I can't imagine how scary it must be to tell an audience full of people you see things that aren't there.

Not to mention a common symptom of schizophrenia is word salad, which means that your words make perfect sense to you, but they're so jumbled up that everyone else thinks they're non-sense. Basically imagine speaking in slang that nobody else in the world understands.

[annaa]

how could her own mother say such horrible stuff to her....
this makes me sick.

[mifzalaerum]

"Don't let Anyone convince you not to get medical help." THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SENTENCE I'VE EVER HEARD!!!

[themarilynwannabe]

My mother has schizophrenia, she used to push me out of the way of windows because she thought people were outside with guns that were gonna shoot us.
Even though I know there was no one out there, I know in her head, there was and she was saving my life!
My mom is such an amazing woman and she has been so resilient with everything life has thrown at her. She's since gotten treatment and she's been able to manage her schizophrenia ❤️ I'm so proud of her. She's definitely not a monster and neither are you

[seektruth-]

I am a Nursing Professor and I teach about cultures, religions and Mental Health. I wanted you to know that I use your SBSK interview video in my class because it helps students understand this mental health challenge in a beautiful way. I encourage my students to follow not only TED & SBSK (which I ADORE! Keep up the amazing work, it's needed!) but Cecilia's journey! Thank you Cecilia for being so brave! You go girl!!!

[Pschychotically]

"I'm just someone who can't turn off my nightmares even when I'm awake." ~ Cecilia McGough, 2017

[jimmystagger]

I am in awe of this woman's ability to overcome her schizophrenia and achieve so much in science. In awe.

[MsAnduk]

It's so refreshing to hear this, my boyfriend has schizophrenia, and he is an amazing human being, he's kind, loving and I want to do everything I can to be his champion. Thank-you for your words of encouragement .

[lionessprowess]

About 4 years ago, Special Books for Special Kids interviewed her. Her symptoms were so bad that she would not look up or into the camera at all. She had informed us that she don't pay attention to her hallucinations because it causes her to confuse the hallucinations with reality. So was brave then and even braver now. I'm so happy that she has come this far and accomplished so much. I am sorry to hear about her college mate though.

[gmc]

Is this the same Cecelia from SBSK? What a fabulous person❤️

[thesuicideeffect]

It broke my heart when she said she had a secret and it was her mental illness. People shouldn't be afraid of talking about their disorders and that's what I'm trying to do with my channel. I just want to raise awareness for mental health and end the stigma around it!

[Vedangi_]

There's a slight shivering and hesitation in her speech, I think that's because of the clown. You can actually see her struggling, she's so damn brave, God bless her❤️❤️

[carolineglenn]

She is so intelligent and brave. I hate that she’s had to go through so much. Her mind is so incredible

[jdkhaos]

When I heard that statistic about suicides my heart dropped.. I was almost a contributor to that number, it breaks my heart to think of all the people who are suffering currently with mental health anguish.

[blaizec]

this made me cry so much, the conversation with her mother is so indicative of how society treats mental health issues, this was my life for a while too, thank you Cecilia

[davidwilson]

I am ringing the doctors today. I failed yesterday. I wont fail again. A male dad of 4 children and a husband to my puds of 22years plus. Im regarded as strong im a scaffolder and strength is needed but real strength is a different measure i think i can say i feel Dwarfed by your strength. Credit to your level appraisal of what iv not dared to address for years. You have helped me understand my position. Im so impressed with your confidence and positive outlook. You are a genuine life saver. Optimistic and welling up. Thank you again. X