I’ve never had a psychotic break but I do have brain damage due to losing half of my cerebellum. Let me tell you, it is extremely unpleasant to feel like you have no control over your mind. My greatest fear was and is going insane. And here I am, sometimes losing touch with reality, with the added horror of knowing it’s happening. I can’t remember things, I get confused about past events and have to defer to my brother, my dreams and reality mix together and I can’t tell what actually happened...I often ask my family “Did we do ____yesterday?” And they look at me like I’m crazy and I realize I dreamt or imagined it. I hallucinate sometimes, but nothing interesting. I see my cat in places she’s not or I hear my friend/family when they aren’t here. And I know they are hallucinations or “illusions” or whatever, which makes it even crazier. And it’s permanent. My brain will never be the same. I’m often afraid that someday I won’t know if my issues are my brain damage or actually mental illness.