Question

Share at least 2 short personal stories or give some quotes from individuals living with Schizophrenia. How does living with this disorder impact an individual? What should friends and family know? Response should be relevant in the UNITED STATES ONLY PLEASE.

Answer 1

There are two people I know personally who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The first is my mother's cousin sister who acquired the illness in her teens. Her father was also a patient of schizophrenia and when she was 10 years old, he killed himself in front of her very own eyes. However, she managed to complete her higher education and is currently employed as a primary school teacher. She is about 50 years old, still lives with her mother and has been married once. She has been on medication pretty much all her life but on the surface, it is not at a apparent that she has the illness.
The same is the case with my one of my classmates in college. When I met her, she seemed to me like a fun loving girl. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia after receiving other diagnoses before such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder etc. I knew her for only a year because she had to drop out from college and was unable to complete her studies. At that point her psychotic episodes became extremely intense and she had to be hospitalized. She is a heavy user of marijuana, which she claims helps her cope with the stresses of her illness. She has now moved back to live with her family and is trying to finish her course online.