William Johnson

Overcoming Schizophrenia: William Johnson (pen name)

William Johnson grew up in Chesterland, Ohio, the oldest of four. He remembers a happy childhood with his siblings, parents and grandmother, playing in a creek and tending a garden. Halloweens and Christmases were some of his best memories.

He also remembers playing sports including football and baseball, and learning to ice skate. At the age of fifteen, he heard a musician perform on the organ at a museum, and was fascinated. He soon would learn to play both the organ and the piano at a high level, and also would compose music. William finished high school with a diploma in Piano Studies from the Piano Guild Association, and would continue performing on organ for church services into his adulthood. During the duration of William’s life, he never used alcohol or drugs.

In addition to having a passion for both music and sports, William was a high achiever in school, and especially loved math. He remembers home schooling with his siblings all the way through high school, which included advanced lectures that he viewed online. His dream was to study engineering in college, and in 2015 at age 18, he began classes at John Carroll University in electrical engineering. John Carroll University was close to his parents’ home, and William commuted to classes.

William was competitive as a high school student, scoring high on both his ACT and SAT exams. However, when beginning college at John Carroll, William remembers that his best efforts were not enough, as he continued to study hard but struggled to pass. At the same time, he began sending angry and incoherent emails to his professors. He began to believe he was becoming “king of the world,” and would be superior to all of the world’s leaders. He also believed his real name was Michael, and that this name had special significance. William soon wondered if he would be killed, as part of a massive conspiracy, and isolated himself in his parents’ house. He was afraid of his parents, believing they were not his real family. At this time, however, he had not yet begun hallucinating.

By the end of William’s second year of college, he had earned a 1.75 GPA, and was placed on academic probation.

William’s parents picked up on his erratic behavior and constant isolation, and were puzzled by his bad grades. He also had begun to experience manic episodes. They soon brought him to see a psychiatrist.

On April 24日 of 2017, William’s parents told him they were taking him to a routine psychiatry appointment, but then brought him to Highland Springs Psychiatric Hospital for observation and treatment. William remembers thinking they would “execute the king,” ending his life. He was screaming, yelling, and fighting the nurses and doctors.

In the hospital, William began Abilify. He remembers it helping significantly, but also that it made him feel sedated, which he greatly disliked. At the time, William had no insight into his illness, and did not notice the medication was helping. His first hospitalization lasted two weeks.

Five months later, in fall of 2017, William transferred from John Carroll University to Cleveland State University to find a brand new start in college. That semester, he scored straight A’s.

But that was not the end of William’s struggles. For a year and a half, despite wanting to go off Abilify, his parents insisted that he stay on it, and he was consistent. But finally, William worked with a doctor to slowly wean off the medication, which led to another episode and second hospitalization.

In May of 2018, William was hospitalized twice after experiencing fluctuations in mood, hallucinations, including audible voices, and voices inside of his mind. He was transitioned to Invega pills, which he stayed on for a year. He was then transitioned to Seroquel for a year, and finally back to Abilify.

From 2019 until 2021, William was hospitalized four more times, despite consistently taking medication. He had to drop several classes due to inability to focus, and the need for time off due to the hospitalizations, but finished every class he did not drop, with no grades of incomplete in his academic records. He focused on his goals, and steadily progressed toward graduation.

During his time in the hospital, William remembers thinking he was possessed by the devil, and thinking he could control time and people. He also remembers thinking he could talk to the TV.  He had many paranoid thoughts in the hospital, and saw faces in everyday items. His mind was constantly racing, and he was sedated many times for erratic behavior.

To this day, William does struggle with some side effects of his Abilify. He has experienced akathisia, sedation, anxiety, and insomnia. But over many years, he has worked with his doctor to address and treat these side effects.

William gained insight into his illness in 2021 realizing his need to always stay on medication. He graduated with a 3.45 in his electrical engineering bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University in 2022. William found his first job a month later as an electrical engineer, working in automation engineering, making car products and building assembly lines. In July of 2025, he will celebrate his third anniversary with this company as an electrical engineer.

Today, William continues to perform on organ for his church every week, and still lives in Chesterland. He is symptom-free, and has been for four years, with no voices, hallucinations, or delusions. He is currently engaged, and looks forward to a bright future.