Support Group for Offspring

Hi there,
I’ve been trying to find a support group geared specifically to the children/offspring of those with SZ and SZA and haven’t found much on the web. I’ve joined a local support group but it was exclusively parents of schizophrenics. I felt that it was hard to relate to their experience - in many ways it was almost the exact opposite of mine. They were all 50+ parents dealing with the recent diagnosis of a 20s something child meanwhile I was the 20 something daughter of a 50+ year old schizophrenic father.

If anyone knows of such a support group I would really appreciate the information.

Thank you!

@Morgandy_McKinnell, @maycie, @Shona23, hi, I noticed that these other offspring of parents with Schizophrenia have posted this week and are looking for guidance too. Maybe they may know of something and could share it with you.

Have you contacted Nami in your area or looked at https://sardaa.org/ ?

I vaguely recall a children of survivors group mentioned some time ago, but maybe I imagined this. I agree there’s a different set of support needs, similar in many ways to children of alcoholics. Since my brother has a dual diagnosis, my mother attended an alanon group for a while, and I read the literature. I feel there’s some overlap in terms of codependency and/or dealing with a codependent parent, so you may consider trying one of these groups for more accessible in-person support.

As a “consumer”/caregiver I attended NAMI meetings for a while, and found the company less than relatable, a bit like being a kid at the grown-ups table at holiday celebrations and ultimately I left NAMI. Things may have improved by now. I recall that Elyn Saks said she attended bipolar and depressive support groups as a high-functioning person with SZ, as she felt she didn’t fit elsewhere. I got a low-key vibe from her book that she had some beef with NAMI, and perhaps Dr. Fuller Torrey, because both were conspicuously absent from her lists of resources.

As mojoclay said, there are many folks here on this site that have experience with raising adult parents with SZ DX (more than you’d think, as MI can tend to be a hereditary disease) as well as parents with MI children, siblings with MI, and partners/spouses with MI partners/spouses. I urge you to keep checking back and reading posts. (You can read through old threads for days…) This is an excellent place to be for sharing/getting information, discussing concerns, occasionally sharing some much-needed laughter or uplifting, as well as just venting it all out if you need. Great group of folks here.
Often if you post your own experiences or concerns, more than likely someone will identify with their own similar experience or needs and you can go from there (check “The Damage Caused By Being Irrelevant” and the “Treatment Resistant…” threads most recent) Glad you found us. I’m sorry for the circumstance…

@Morgandy_McKinnell I would like to know how it was growing up with a MI parent coming from a child to lived it. I have a child with my MI spouse and I feel so guilty for taking my child out of the environment since my spouse is not taking meds. Feel bad about to every single day.