First Person: Living with Delusions
Year: 2020
Award Level: Gold
Award Winner(s): University of California, Berkeley
Award: Circle of Excellence
Category: Writing | Column or Opinion Piece
From the Nominator
"Living with Delusions" is a heartbreakingly honest personal essay written for our "First Person" column by an alumnus about navigating his schooling with a schizophrenia diagnosis. Steven O'Donnell's account offers both a painful reality and a vision for how administrators and classmates can be better allies.
From the Judges
The author's straightforward, unembellished account of his life with advanced psychosis allows readers to make the shift from ignorance to education, and from fear to empathy. Beautifully done.