Joseph A. Peragine

This is the story of Joseph A. Peragine, a paranoid schizophrenic. On October 22, 2000, Peragine tried to kill himself in a severely hallucinogenic state due to undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia—something he was suffering from for many years leading up to that day.

Schizophrenia is a serious, complex, and long-term mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others. The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure, but estimates suggest that it affects between 0.25% and 0.64% of U.S. adults.

In Joseph’s Own Words:

"I can remember a time in my life when I was so mentally ill that I was confined to a padded room within a high security mental institution and restrained in a straitjacket by security guards. They did this because, a day earlier, I basically drove my truck, naked, over 100mph, off of the highway, straight into a 20-30 foot free fall into trees. This was the “rock bottom” of my life over 20 years ago. When I was locked in that padded room, I was a bloody mess—broken nose, stitches all over my body, and pumped up on a pharmacy’s worth of sedatives and antipsychotic medications to keep me from harming myself and others. I was staring at blank walls; no sound, no windows, no visitors, no human interaction, left alone with my thoughts. As jumbled and fragmented my brain functionality was at the time, the one remaining focused idea that I had was to one day share my story with the world.

The media sensationalizes all of the negative aspects and negative stigmas of mental illness and schizophrenia (my illness), but it overlooks the positives and the journey to recovery. My music and audiobooks are meant to make up for that. This is my life.

This little tiny seed of an “idea” that birthed from my mind that one pivotal night I was locked up in that padded room wearing that straitjacket, was—and is—the single piece of motivation that keeps me moving forward and kicking schizophrenia’s butt everyday. My music and audiobooks are the projects that have continuously given me the drive to move forward, wake up everyday and live my life—the life that I dedicate to inspiring those who feel that they have lost all hope. Schizophrenia is real. Mental illness is real. But so is recovery!

October 22, 2000 was the day of my suicide. Every October since I started my recovery in 2000, I reflect on my life and am extremely thankful that I was fortunate enough to have been given a second chance. Every October, I especially make it a priority to tell my family and loved ones how much I love them. Every October, I take the time aside to appreciate the smallest of things, such as breathing, eating a home cooked meal, being able to brush my teeth without a security guard supervising me, being able to carry a two minute conversation (that was a huge goal of mine at one time), being able to pick up the phone or drive somewhere to connect with the people I care about.

These are the tiny things that all of us take for granted, as we get lost in the rat race of life. Every October I especially appreciate these little things. And most importantly, every October, I promise myself that I WILL make a difference in the world through my living example of beating the odds and conquering this severe mental illness. I was not given this time to neglect my life again. Every second counts! So I make it a point to make it count!”

Facts About Joseph:

Joseph is one of the most prolific artists you’ve most likely known but never heard of. He has worked with some of the most established producers and writers in the modern music industry and has constantly been releasing relevant, impactful, and socially-conscious material for the past 20 plus years. He has gained quite a following in that time with his music videos, mini documentaries, albums and audiobooks some of which have reached over ONE MILLION VIEWS.

Joseph is an AMAZON BEST SELLING AUTHOR with his self-published and self-promoted debut audiobook “Time To Face This World (The Schizophrenic Diaries of Joseph A. Peragine)” peaking at the NUMBER #2 position on both the Amazon Best Sellers list and Amazon Most Wished For list, under the “Biographies/Memoirs/People With Disabilities” category. Joseph held the number #2 spot directly under Selma Blair’s New York Times Best Selling book “Mean Baby” and directly above Michael J. Fox’s number #3 best selling book “No Time Like The Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality”.

Joseph’s follow up release of “Time To Face This World (Series Trilogy boxed set Vol.1-Vol.3)” debuted as the #1 Amazon Bestselling New Release in Schizophrenia.

Joseph has been consistently breaking new ground with his almost savant approach of displaying his personal schizophrenic experiences through his art, over 300 songs, and a 25-hour audiobook trilogy. These projects are the culmination of Joseph’s 20-year journey of music, art, and storytelling.

Statistics About Schizophrenia (info below taken from NAMI.org “National Alliance on Mental Illness”):

• Schizophrenia is one of the top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide.
• Individuals with schizophrenia have an increased risk of premature mortality (death at a younger age) than the general population).
• The estimated average potential life lost for individuals with schizophrenia in the U.S. is 28.5 years.
• Co-occurring medical conditions, such as heart disease, liver disease, and diabetes contribute to the higher premature mortality rate among individuals with schizophrenia. Possible reasons for this excess early mortality are increased rates of these medical conditions and under-detection and under-treatment of them.
• An estimated 4.9% of people with schizophrenia die by suicide, this rate is far greater than the general population, with the highest risk in the early stages of illness.
• Approximately half of individuals with schizophrenia have co-occurring mental and/or behavioral health disorders.
• Financial costs associated with schizophrenia are disproportionately high relative to other chronic mental and physical health conditions, reflecting both “direct” costs of health care as well as “indirect” costs of lost productivity, criminal justice involvement, social service needs, and other factors beyond health care.

Facts About Schizophrenia (info below taken from NAMI.org “National Alliance on Mental Illness”):

For a diagnosis of schizophrenia, some of the following symptoms are present in the context of reduced functioning for at least six months:
• Hallucinations: These include a person hearing voices, seeing things, or smelling things others can’t perceive. The hallucination is very real to the person experiencing it and it may be very confusing for a loved one to witness. Voices in a hallucination can be critical or threatening and may involve people that are known or unknown to the person hearing them.
• Delusions: These are false beliefs that don’t change even when the person who holds them is presented with new ideas or facts. People who have delusions often also have problems concentrating, confused thinking, or the sense that their thoughts are blocked.
• Negative Symptoms: Negative symptoms are ones that diminish a person’s abilities and often include being emotionally flat or speaking in a dull, disconnected way. People with negative symptoms may be unable to start or follow through with activities, show little interest in life, or sustain relationships. Negative symptoms are sometimes confused with clinical depression.
• Cognitive Issues / Disorganized Thinking: People with the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia often struggle to remember things, organize their thoughts, or complete tasks. Commonly, people with schizophrenia have anosognosia or “lack of insight.” This means the person is unaware that they have the illness, which can make treating or working with them much more challenging.
There is no cure for schizophrenia, but it can be treated and managed to improve quality of life.