Please, don’t raise your voice, be kind and gentle, and remember to smile. Be aware of your facial expressions, and most importantly really listen when a person with schizophrenia opens up to you. You will never know how much courage it took for them to actually say what they see, hear, or think.
My brother, whom I love dearly, is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. We were close growing up, but this disease has taken a huge toll on us. Mainly because I just didn’t understand what he was going through. I have my own problems, I was embarrassed by him at times. I just want him to be a normal big brother.
It’s not his fault he’s ill, and I sometimes think he is choosing to refuse treatment, which is quite selfish of him, but who am I to say the drugs make him better when the truth is I don’t know if they do or not! He says the medication makes him feel sick, out of it, not himself & has damaged his kidneys and liver, so how can I help him if the medication really does harm him?
Mine is a tough position to be in, but it’s nothing compared to his life.
If you can smile and have good times with your loved one, maximize it. Forgive easily and often. Forget about what anyone thinks. Those who matter won’t mind if your loved one is ill. And Those that do mind, don’t matter.
