Topic : 11/23 Schizophrenia

I can identify with the brother and sister because my mother was afflicted by this illness and I have the same trepidation as the two sisters because I'm afraid of contracting it. I was living away from home when I received a call from a family member telling me that Mom was behaving strangely....talking to herself.  Concerned, I moved back home and quickly realized that my sweet gentle mother had become a total stranger. From early in the morning til deep in the night I could hear her private conversations with the voices.....her voice sometimes raised in anger with her 'demons'. She had only a few hours of peace every day when her body could no longer stay awake. She took to wearing a hard hat so that the beams couldn't reach her brain and eventually someone else to handle her finances because she refused to pay her bills...she thought everything already belonged to her. My father has warned me when I first moved back to lock the bedroom door as he did his because he was afraid she would kill us in the middle of the night...something I never did because I knew "my mom" could never do that.  Actually , it wasn't til years later that we actually found out what was wrong with her...we didn't realize that she could have been helped.  I had done some reading since that mentionned what Dr Phil said about it being triggered by stress. Therein  lies my fear...I internalize my problems...they eat at me and I'm afraid it will lead to my undoing. I will continue to do more research on the matter and find some coping mechanisms. What I hope this program will do is to educate and show that schizophrenics are sick people who have family that love them deeply and are as crippled by the illness as much as the actual sufferer. 

 Your posting meant the world to me. Thank you for all you've done to shine the national spotlight on those suffering through this nightmare and their families who also suffer.  Seven years ago, I thought I lost my son forever. I called my family to tell them and all I could say was, "He's not Vinny anymore." I just wanted him back. Fast forward through the hospital stays, the crises, the police contact, the sleepless nights, the ever-present stress and fear response to each ring of the phone or knock at the door, and now my son is able to communicate, and is high-functioning. I have a very loving and rewarding relationship with him. I am so fortunate. I wake up every morning knowing that miracles can and do occur (with the proper medication!) I did not join NAMI - I was too exhausted and worn down. Now that I am able to do things other than worry if my son would survive the day, I would love to be part of a national movement that calls for reform of the system. Sign me up! If there is no sign-up sheet, let's create one!

Sincerely, warmly and gratefully,

Kathleen

It is wonderful to see a person with schizophrenia who has so much insight and determination. I hope the future holds only the best for you. 

I have an issue with referring to people with schizophrenia as "schizophrenics". It is like that is what they are first and foremost. But that is not true. They are men and women. They have schizophrenia.  

When my son was little he was diagnosed with asthma. I never called him an asthmatic because that would seem that that is what he is, and the other parts of his life were secondary. 

When he developed schizophrenia, it raised my hackles to hear him referred to as "schizophrenic". 

People suffering from this illness occupy more hospital beds in a year than any other illness. Yet research into better drugs is lacking, and support services do not get their fair share of funding. 

People who have schizophrenia remind me of soldiers out on the battlefield. They truly are some of the bravest people in the world. If the rest of us could walk a day in their shoes, we would be screaming for more aid. As it strikes people in their teens and twenties, think of all the lost potential out there. 

This is specifically in for the first girl who saw demons,angels and heard voices and saw what I term as"death masks" on people. 

  Once upon a time I thoought I was crazy,then I got plugged in to a Christian church that believes Scripture and studies and teaches Biblical Truth.Jesus addressed demons and cast them out of people.They are real and have one task: whisper lies into peoples spiritual ears.Angels are real and they have many tasks,one of them being:to protect people and tell them truth.The Holy Spirit is our protector,comforter,counselor and friend. 

  Any Counselor will tell you we have a spirit.When you go through counseling you eventually have to come to the understanding that there is a Higher Power then mere human intellegence.I know Him as Father God,Jesus,and Holy Spirit ,or the Trinity. Most people just say , "God". 

   God gave us gifts at birth,at conception when He put our spirit in us.The gifts are without repentence,so even if you don't know Jesus you have them.What I saw with this young woman was what I know without a doubt id heightened discernment and the abitlity to see into as well as hear the "second heaven".We live within the first heaven,the second heaven being where angels and demons reside, and the third heaven being where our Heavenly Father resides.All the medication in the world will not kill a demon,but the blood of Jesus was shed for all,and the name of Jesus is the name above all.Just check out the Gospels in the New Testament and you will see where not just Jesus,but His disciples also took authority over the demons using His name. 

   There are people working in the field of counseling who have seen people delivered and set free from the kind of torment this woman is enduring.I believe she,and anyone like her, can be set free and shown how to use her gift without all the torment and grief it has brought. 

   Even if a person doesn't want to get "all religious" I believe it is only sensible to explore this avenue to seek freedom. 

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has annointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,to proclaim libertyy to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;" 

  There is a ministry that specifically addresses these such illnesses and has had amazing and miraculous success,it is called SOZO.It comes from the word in the Bible for "healed". There is a church in Redding,California that practices and teaches this ministry.It is not a cult or any such thing.It has a legitimate school and is licensed and certified by the state to certify counselors in the drug and alcohol field because it went to the state and proved through documentation that it works.They have taught other churchs organizations this ministry,so it's not like everyone has to travel to Redding.   As for personal testimony,I have been set free from depression,suicidal tendencies,and a whole multitude of dysfunctional behaviors that came about from the family I grew up with.I use these same truths to show others who they are in Gods eyes and His plan for their freedom. If there is anyone who is interested in being truly free, just say so,I'll be checking in.May God richly bless you all.-Mary Ann