Schizophrenia Unveiled

Hi Everyone

Had a friend of my daughter over today with her Mum and younger sister.  She was talking about some personal stuff, so I decided to confide in her about my diagnosis, which she took very well...considering.  It did make me wonder though, is it fair to burden people with the knowledge of my diagnosis?  Would they perhaps rather not know? 

It is too late now, anyway.  Not just for that person, but for me - having started to open up, it is impossible to stop now - not because I get any gratification from shocking people, but because being open is so clearly a positive step.  For example the friend today said that a friend of her brother became very ill following active service in the Army when he was just a teenager.  Twenty years on, he has not held a job since, is on a lot of medication, has been in and out of the local mental hospital constantly, and basically has no prospects.  He doesn't see any possibility of recovery.

I told her about the Finnish system, about how they have almost eradicated mental illness over there and how there is hope for people, or would be if only our mental health system was not so crooked.  So wrong.  And I really wanted to be able to help in some way - to direct this man to some resource on the net, for example, to break away from the awful cycle he is caught in. 

But then, what can I do?  I don't know the man from Adam.  I personally don't agree with medication, but don't know his situation.  I don't even know his diagnosis - not that I believe that mental health diagnoses are helpful in the least, but they do at least provide a starting point.

I am going to do some browsing later though, see if I can't find some websites with an enabling message.  Then I will write them down for her, or text them to her to pass on.  Nobody should be left without hope for their future.

The sky has darkened, the heavens are about to open again, so I had better go and batten down the hatches.  Don't want the conservatory soaked. 

So enough for now - but grrr.  There must be so many similar stories of suffering.  It makes me so annoyed.

Louise x