Sarah Merritt Ryan M.S., CPSS

About

Sarah Merritt Ryan, M.S., CPSS, is a writer, speaker, and advocate for emotional recovery from serious mental illness. She is a survivor of four psychotic breaks who made a full recovery while choosing to remain on antipsychotics for life. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been in full remission, symptom-free, for 14 years. During this time, she has married, given birth to a son who is now in first grade, and rebuilt her career. She is also a Certified Peer Support Specialist through the UNC School of Social Work.

Her Psychology Today posts are used as training material for resident psychiatrists at the UNC Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program (STEP) Clinic at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has been published twice in Writer’s Digest on the topic of writing about mental illness. Her first book-length work of sonnets on faith amidst suffering is called My Soul to Keep and will be released in June 2026 by Prolific Pulse Press. Her full-length memoir, Threads of Truth, is currently represented by a literary agent.

She speaks for NAMI NC, NC State University, UNC Psychiatry, and various community organizations. She was honored as "Hometown Hero" in 2024 by the North Carolina Women's Courage Professional Soccer Team, Lenovo, and NAMI Wake County for her contributions to mental health in the Raleigh-Durham community.

She has a degree in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Science degree in Communication from NC State. She has been published academically in the social sciences.

Find out more about Sarah on her new and improved website: https://www.sarahmerrittryan.com. You can download her Emotional Recovery Essentials package, request a presentation, join waitlists for her publications, watch previous presentations online, and more.

Recent Posts

Environmental Triggers for Schizophrenia

Personal Perspective: Part of my emotional recovery from schizophrenia came from identifying and addressing my environmental triggers.

The Illusion of Normalcy

Personal Perspective: The idea of becoming "normal" again is an illusion, as nothing truly defines what normal is, but you can achieve feeling no different from anyone else.

Living With Oculogyric Crises Long-Term

Personal Perspective: I describe the practical and emotional experiences of living with oculogyric crises caused by antipsychotic use for 25 years. Now mine are finally over.

Renaming and Reconceptualizing Schizophrenia

The idea that you can't live well with schizophrenia is outdated, and the name is associated with a stigma that is painful and spreads false information. We must rename this disease.

Paramedic Life With Bipolar and Psychosis

Meet John Kline, a retired paramedic who shares what a lifetime with bipolar and psychosis looks like while managing a successful career as a first responder.

10 Reasons Why Psychosis Is Not a Waking Nightmare

Personal Perspective: I've been told my schizophrenia is just having nightmares while awake. I realize now how different they really are.

Emotional Reactions to Tardive Dyskinesia

Personal Perspective: I was self-conscious about having tardive dyskinesia symptoms in my first job after my last hospitalization. However, I got my first promotion.

Interview With a Psych Patient Who Became a Psych Nurse

Krupa Bhandaru, who, like me, has experienced psychotic breaks, talks about her emotional recovery and how she went on to become a psychiatric nurse.

The Truth That Can Be Found in Psychosis

It took me a while to see the truth my psychotic breaks revealed, but I now value what I learned from these times of mental crisis. Here's some wisdom in hindsight, 13 years later.

You Are Yourself When You Have Psychosis and No One Else

Personal Perspective: Loved ones assured me not to feel bad about psychosis and what I said and did because "I wasn't myself." But I was myself, reacting to an alternate reality.