For Henry Cockburn, the onset of schizophrenia felt like pure common sense.

It was February 2002, and the 20-year-old art student had strayed from the University of Brighton to satisfy his desire for a life of magic outside the city. He also wanted to take a 70-mile journey (about 113 kilometers) barefoot back to his childhood home in Canterbury.

About 15 miles (24 kilometers) into his walk, he heard planes in the distance, and told CNN he believed “that somehow an evil force knew I had left.” Cockburn knew with absolute certainty that he was being followed.

The solution, he believed, was to dive into the frigid tidal waters of the Newhaven Estuary and swim away from the malevolent presence. Fishermen found him and rescued him just before he blacked out from hypothermia.

After being re

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