Thanks for your response.
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My son was in a psych hospital for one month in 2013. He was prescribed AP medication by monthly injection. Still on it. Has no life.
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My son has also said he āhas no lifeā because of being in hospital or group home on and off for so many years.
How can we help them with quality of life?
Appreciate your response.
Maple Mom
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Boy do wish I knew the answer to your question 
I donāt know if there is an answer. An article I read recently indicated that we parents are much more worried, saddened by their quality of life than they are and that they can become just used to it. Itās hard to accept that anybody could be happy when they have no friends or hobbies, no job, etc. I ask my son if he is depressed. He always says he is not. But he does confess to anxiety. He recently started taking Paxil in addition to his AP medication. So far, what this has done is caused him to be much more talkative, which is a good thing, BUT (there is always a BUT, isnāt there?) what he talks about it confusing and illogical and he announced to me couple weeks ago he was going to start drinking again! He hasnāt drank alcohol, and wasnāt interested in alcohol, for probably a couple years, again thatās a good thing, BUT ā¦he did drink a lot of soda, lots and lots of it, straight out of the 2 liter bottle of Coke!! So I donāt know why he started drinking beer again, seems like drinking alcohol would be self-medicating to me. In a way he seems happier. But alcohol tends to make him a bit agitated and he has no tolerance because he doesnāt drink much because he has no way to get beer because he doesnāt drive. But he does manage to get some if he knows somebody is coming over. I donāt know the answers but do have tons of questions and usually when I research a question it opens up all these new and confusing explanations and my mind reels, and just on and on. I wish I could be at peace with this. I wish I could believe that his life as it is now is just the way itās going to be. I wonder if any of us can accept and just be.
I think daquilamarguerite1 has some many good points. I am sorry your son is voicing his unhappiness - maybe because he is medicated enough at this point to want more? I feel for your son and his struggle to find a life that would give him satisfaction.
My son, when heās not having a really bad episode, seems to have settled into routines. While we wouldnāt consider his life to be of very high quality, I think he has found some sort of satisfaction. If he was medicated, it would probably be a different story.
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Thank you everyone for the responses, apologies for not replying back sooner, just a lot going on and also itās hard to even read this thread at times but I know itās better in the long run.
Things with my brother F have sadly worsened. My mothers apartment is on a lake, and she just called me saying she found F walking in the lake. Sheās afraid he might try to drown himself as he attempted during his first breakdown many years ago. Also, every time he defecates now he doesnāt wipe. As you can imagine that causes tremendously bad hygiene and my mother says the apartment smell is unbearable. Lastly, my mom says F recently āchargedā at her in a psychical manner when she was listening to music. This is especially odd since heās always been extremely passive & peaceful.
At this point we donāt have much of a choice but to call in Police to intern him at the hospital, since he refuses to go on his own will. She asked me to make the call since she doesnāt speak English that well. With things going hectic in my career and now this I feel like Iām being pulled in 8 different directions 
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You have to make the call. Or, maybe the neighbors will do it for you. Good luck!
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Yes, I donāt see any other option so I will. Thank you.
I agree the new medication maybe put a little fire under him. He usually isnāt a talker at all but now heās talking more than he has for a couple years but what he says, sometimes kinda scares me, like he might feel good enough to think he doesnāt need medication?? Is that not a sick thing to say?? Iām afraid heāll get āwellā so he thinks he is well! I do want that for him of course. But what if this is a mistake? Terrible illness!! Confusing all around. I just want him to be happy.
My heart goes out to you and your family
How can you not worry in this scz business? Everything is confusing, we never know what will work, how long it will last. I want mine to be happy and I have all kinds of concerns about would could happen if we did get him medicated.
I hope your brother is doing better. Reading this thread, I can empathize with so much in terms of anguish and not knowing where to turn. Iāve been dealing with this affliction in my family for decades with my mother, who is no longer here, and now my adult daughter, who I care for. Is medication and hospitalization bettter than psychosis? Yes. But they are not the solution I was lead to believe in the beginning. Like many, my daughter got better, but she had no life. Thatās because medication only addresses the symptoms in much the same way aspirin does for a chronic headache. The headache goes away for a time but the cause of the headache is not addressed. This is much the same with many of our modern diseases and the medical community is predominantly blind or ignorant to this, choosing to stick with the model of healthcare heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical companies. Some doctors are beginning to view how we treat mental illness with a different lens, with a focus on inflammation and gut health. Unfortunately they are few and far between, but with a lot of research, Iāve begun to understand the connection and help my daughter have a more meaningful life. To start with, you can google gut health and schizophrenia and this book is one Iāve found helpful. It does explain why the treatment model is not working. Itās not about mental illness per se, but it is included and is very enlightening. And the author is a neurologist.
Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your BrainĀfor Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316380105/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sH8CzbSV1B9ZN
God bless everyone here!
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Tough disease and depending what state you live in really can affect their care. We were recently going to make a move to Arizona from CA until my cousin pointed out how bad mental health care was. Arizona is ranked 50th. She said they donāt care i believed her and now we are staying put