I was particularly close to my Uncle and his sons. I grew up with them. I looked up to them. They showed me how to tinker with computers, to question authority and to behave badly. It was real good fun.
When I was about 19 it started. My cousin had gone to a GP and been described antidepressants for an episode that I now realise was prodromal for schizophrenia. He had begun to 'see things' in patterns, and had begun to think of himself as other-wordly. It was a strange time. I remember thinking to myself that this is a bit odd -- perhaps he drinks a little too much. Except it only got worse over time. When I was 21, he embarked on a journey of repeated admissions to psychiatric facilities that has continued now for a decade.
He has good days, and bad days.
Schizophrenia is a horrible condition. It strikes people in their adolescence, at a time in their lives when the 'world is their oyster'. That's just an awful time. It's when a lot of people find their identities through meaningful relationships, employment and education. It destroys people's potential.
Mental illness is something that I am only beginning to understand. I thought that most things of this nature could be overcome. What I have seen in the last few months, convinces me I am wrong.
Some people may still be alive, but they are shells of what they once were.
