Recommendations for Newbie, plz?

Thank you @caregiver1, I have started reading the Surviving Schizophrenia book already, and it is very helpful. I’m beginning to understand better what my son is experiencing.

@Windyhill63 I saw you recommended that Family Guide book in the thread about your daughters next steps after graduation…I have added that one to my list. Thanks so much!

If you can find a therapist who has empathy for your situation, some are trained, I guess, or I guess you can’t learn empathy, right? It’s a feeling, actually knowing how a person feels being in the same situation. My son’s first psychiatrist had a son who had schizophrenia and when I asked her tearfully one day (right after diagnosis) if my son really had schizophrenia, she handed me a box of tissues :frowning:

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I’m sorry you’re feeling so sad, but I know the feeling! We all do! Schizophrenia is in my family, all throughout the family tree, but I never gave it too much thought, didn’t think it would actually happen, ya know? So when my son started acting weird and couldn’t finish high school, couldn’t keep a job, became slovenly and smelled terrible, did all kinds of bizarre things, I still didn’t really really believe it could be actual schizophrenia! Then when his first break happened, he was involuntarily committed for a month and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and put on the injectable monthly invega sustenna, came home and seemed okay. Doable but still couldn’t do much. I was actually kinda relieved to have a diagnosis so I could stop being embarrassed or trying to defend him to people who were pretty ticked at him for various reasons, at least now we knew why. But about six months later, I suddenly became aware that my son hadn’t done anything at all, just sitting around the house, pleasant and nice, but no life, no friends, no hobbies or interests, other than listening to music, just nothing. Very flat. Very unmotivated. I started reading Surviving Schizophrenia and that’s when I started crying. That was 2013. Still cry almost every day. I’m slightly better but … this is such a terrible loss ;(

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Thanks, it means so much to me to find others who are in this situation. I’m sorry that you are still crying so much, but I think I know that is just the way it is going to be with this disease. I’m so overwhelmed with the variety of treatment options that all say they are the best, medications that work for some, not for others, SSI and medicare applications, and all the stuff from the hospital he is in now.

I did find one facebook group for parents and it has been really helpful, maybe some of you are a part of that group too. I also joined one that has both the SZ people AND families on it and it has been helpful to read the POV of those with the disease.

I’m not convince my therapist has a lot of experience with SZ but I’m still going to give her a chance. I’ve only seen her once, and part of that session was paperwork and procedures, etc. It does help to talk to someone outside of my friend and family circle.

I am learning my cats are very empathetic too, they seem to know when I’m upset and they are good listeners. :slight_smile:

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