Inside a Schizophrenia Episode | Actual Patient Behavior

This video, Inside a Schizophrenia Episode | Actual Patient Behavior, offers an unfiltered, first-person look into what a schizophrenia episode can actually feel like, told through lived experience rather than stereotypes. Michelle shares her thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in a way that humanizes schizophrenia and challenges the fear-based portrayals often seen in media. Instead of dramatizing the illness, the video focuses on awareness, vulnerability, and honesty. Showing how symptoms can exist alongside insight, self-reflection, and strength. It’s a powerful reminder that schizophrenia is not a personality flaw or a moral failing, but a real mental health condition experienced by real people navigating everyday life.

Michelle Hammer

Michelle Hammer is a well-known schizophrenia activist, mental health advocate, artist, and founder of the brand Schizophrenic.NYC, using her own experiences to challenge stigma and start conversations about mental health. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22 after an earlier misdiagnosis, she turned her journey into purpose by creating a clothing line in 2015 that blends bold design with awareness-raising messaging. Michelle has been featured in the WebMD documentary Voices, which was nominated at the Tribeca X Festival, and her work has appeared in major outlets like Mashable and The Daily Mail, as well as on ABC, NBC, and CBS. Through videos, public speaking, and creative projects, she humanizes schizophrenia, educates audiences about living with the condition, and inspires others to look beyond stereotypes toward understanding and acceptance.