Coming to Terms With Schizophrenia

Coming to Terms with Schizophrenia

“Can I ever forget that I am schizophrenic? I am isolated and I am alone. I am never real. I play-act my life, touching and feeling only shadows. My heart and soul are touched, but the feelings remain locked away, festering inside me because they cannot find expression…” –Anonymous schizophrenic, New York Times, March 18, 1986. These words were written by a victim of schizophrenia, one of the most devastating and misunderstood mental illnesses currently known to mankind. This disease comes in different degrees and has symptoms which vary from person to person, sometimes making it difficult to detect, and much harder to understand. It is obviously difficult for the victim to live with schizophrenia. The disease also devastates the victim’s family. Although it is difficult to live with a schizophrenic family member, there are ways to cope with the ordeal. The first step toward gradual family recovery is recognizing that the ...