My son's been struggling with schizophrenia since he was a junior in high school and he will be 43 in November. We've suffered along with him and so has his older brother. In my experience, neither the public nor the professionals are aware of the family's suffering and struggling. It's unbelievably horrible for all of us, and there is no respite from it no matter where you go or what you do. It's always on your mind.
Most days, my son's aware he has delusions or at least checks in with me about what he perceives as delusions. The medication combination and dose are the best possible for him and he willingly takes them because he understands what might happen if he stopped them as he has experimented with stopping and checking them.
I credit a very good psychiatrist who practices in Sacramento, California with getting him on the correct meds. The best one for him, which has enabled him to go to college, is clozapine. It's probably the only miracle for many people who don't respond to other meds but it has no injectable form and works more effectively over a period of years not days or weeks. (Always check with your mental health care professional about appropriate medications.)
My son attends a mostly peer support group which I sometimes facilitate, and he has very good ideas for others in the group.
Finding a good residential treatment program is almost impossible and not affordable for many families. That's something families need assistance with when they have a disabled adult relative. No one mentions this and it's a primary reason many people with serious mental illness don't do well in the community because of lack of good supervision and support.
Photo Credit: Gloria Hill
Bret loves to fish.