Replies to '11/23 Schizophrenia'

My sister was just diagnosed with this illness.  It has been hard to accept, especially when she is doing odd things.  It started out with her believing in this cultish religion having to do with "twin flames" and "spirit guides".  I tried to talk her into getting help, but it didn't work.  Her husband finally got her to a hospital, but he had to lie and say there was a priest there who would do an excorsism on her.  She believed/s that she was/is possessed by an evil spirit after she did some ritual to call her spirit guide into her body.  This illness is very frustrating and scary.  My Aunt also has it, so I grew up around it, and I know how to deal with some of it.  She has had the illness for over 20 years.  Now she is in a good place, she lives on her own, does her own thing, and is generally happy.  She understands her illness, unlike my sister who still is in denial.  I do worry that I may have it sometime in the future, or that my kids may, since it is genetic.  But I will cross that road if it comes.  I saw that my chances are pretty slim, which is good, about 9% or something like that.  I wish they had some dna testing they could do, cause I would like to know.   

I hate the sterotype about people with this.  It doesn't cause violence, it's not a reason people with it become violent.  There are a lot of great web sites out there that give the facts.  I know a lot of people who automatically assume they are not safe around my family members, and that is sad.   

Anyway, my sister was in a mental institution for nearly 6 months.  She was on so many different medications, sometimes the meds seem worse than the illness, with all the side effects she had.  I may be seeing her this week, she lives quite a distance away from me, so I will be able to see if she is doing any better.  I can't really picture her with it yet, so I need to see her for myself I guess.   

It is one of the hardest things to go through, it's almost like the family member dies, because you have to say things like, "remember when she would do this before..."  or "She was so funny/talented/etc before..."  Just watching someone I love go through this kills a little bit of me each day.   

I hope everyone who has this in their family, and everyone who has it, can find peace in their lives.  Don't let it get you, you can still be a productive member of society, you can still do anything that you want, as long as you learn about the illness, and listen to the doctor, and believe in yourself.   

My sister was just diagnosed with this illness.  It has been hard to accept, especially when she is doing odd things.  It started out with her believing in this cultish religion having to do with "twin flames" and "spirit guides".  I tried to talk her into getting help, but it didn't work.  Her husband finally got her to a hospital, but he had to lie and say there was a priest there who would do an excorsism on her.  She believed/s that she was/is possessed by an evil spirit after she did some ritual to call her spirit guide into her body.  This illness is very frustrating and scary.  My Aunt also has it, so I grew up around it, and I know how to deal with some of it.  She has had the illness for over 20 years.  Now she is in a good place, she lives on her own, does her own thing, and is generally happy.  She understands her illness, unlike my sister who still is in denial.  I do worry that I may have it sometime in the future, or that my kids may, since it is genetic.  But I will cross that road if it comes.  I saw that my chances are pretty slim, which is good, about 9% or something like that.  I wish they had some dna testing they could do, cause I would like to know.   

I hate the sterotype about people with this.  It doesn't cause violence, it's not a reason people with it become violent.  There are a lot of great web sites out there that give the facts.  I know a lot of people who automatically assume they are not safe around my family members, and that is sad.   

Anyway, my sister was in a mental institution for nearly 6 months.  She was on so many different medications, sometimes the meds seem worse than the illness, with all the side effects she had.  I may be seeing her this week, she lives quite a distance away from me, so I will be able to see if she is doing any better.  I can't really picture her with it yet, so I need to see her for myself I guess.   

It is one of the hardest things to go through, it's almost like the family member dies, because you have to say things like, "remember when she would do this before..."  or "She was so funny/talented/etc before..."  Just watching someone I love go through this kills a little bit of me each day.   

I hope everyone who has this in their family, and everyone who has it, can find peace in their lives.  Don't let it get you, you can still be a productive member of society, you can still do anything that you want, as long as you learn about the illness, and listen to the doctor, and believe in yourself.   

My sister was just diagnosed with this illness.  It has been hard to accept, especially when she is doing odd things.  It started out with her believing in this cultish religion having to do with "twin flames" and "spirit guides".  I tried to talk her into getting help, but it didn't work.  Her husband finally got her to a hospital, but he had to lie and say there was a priest there who would do an excorsism on her.  She believed/s that she was/is possessed by an evil spirit after she did some ritual to call her spirit guide into her body.  This illness is very frustrating and scary.  My Aunt also has it, so I grew up around it, and I know how to deal with some of it.  She has had the illness for over 20 years.  Now she is in a good place, she lives on her own, does her own thing, and is generally happy.  She understands her illness, unlike my sister who still is in denial.  I do worry that I may have it sometime in the future, or that my kids may, since it is genetic.  But I will cross that road if it comes.  I saw that my chances are pretty slim, which is good, about 9% or something like that.  I wish they had some dna testing they could do, cause I would like to know.   

I hate the sterotype about people with this.  It doesn't cause violence, it's not a reason people with it become violent.  There are a lot of great web sites out there that give the facts.  I know a lot of people who automatically assume they are not safe around my family members, and that is sad.   

Anyway, my sister was in a mental institution for nearly 6 months.  She was on so many different medications, sometimes the meds seem worse than the illness, with all the side effects she had.  I may be seeing her this week, she lives quite a distance away from me, so I will be able to see if she is doing any better.  I can't really picture her with it yet, so I need to see her for myself I guess.   

It is one of the hardest things to go through, it's almost like the family member dies, because you have to say things like, "remember when she would do this before..."  or "She was so funny/talented/etc before..."  Just watching someone I love go through this kills a little bit of me each day.   

I hope everyone who has this in their family, and everyone who has it, can find peace in their lives.  Don't let it get you, you can still be a productive member of society, you can still do anything that you want, as long as you learn about the illness, and listen to the doctor, and believe in yourself.