For the most part. I do. Yes, I have a very large family with large family chaos and we don’t always get along all the time, but for the most part… I do like my family.
Now that I’m lucid and getting better and seeing what they did for me when I was at my worst, I appreciate them even more now. Especially my parents, some of my aunts, uncles and cousins who have been supportive and cool, my brother who came back as a friend after he pulled himself together and of course, my ever present side kick sis.
I’ve just read a lot of family hate and a lot of… “OH, they don’t get it? tell them to suck it.”
I’m not talking about abusive parents here. The people on this forum who have survived despite very violent and horrid parents are stronger then I am. I bow to your inner strength.
But for the most part… some of the people who have parents who just don’t understand M.I. yet…
No cop, no nurse in a ward, no guy on a street, no friend in a bar is going to advocate for me like my family did. Or pick me up when I lost it, or make sure I’m being treated well when I’m in hospital, or make sure my meds were paid for.
It’s so easy to say … “parents… tell them to suck it…” but that’s a hard thing when they are the ones paying the bills for the meds and the roof over the head. I’d say find a way to reach that common ground and educate the family instead of eradicate the family.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one who likes my family.
I know that you look at yourself with a fair amount of self-doubt and criticism. You are in my opinion perhaps one of the most recovered with respect to insight into your own emotions and circumstances. You have gained a… maturity? that can be hard to realize even under the best circumstances. Eventually we all have to ‘grow up’ and take responsibility for our own actions and feelings. When that happens how we view our family has a tendency to change.
Also with family things are not always black and white. We can love but not like… With acceptance comes the ability to accept others as we accept our own short comings. It’s a process and you are well into yours.
I was adopted. My ‘family’ throws that into my face, and I often say how grateful I am not to share any of their gene pool. My parents used to claim often, especially into their 60s and above that they adopted me, a girl, so I could take care of them when they were old. I find that very abusive.
So, I often say that ‘family’ is an excuse to be with people you won’t even consider be-friending. You can pick your friends but not your family.
I know that is a sad statement, that’s how I feel.
I have mixed feelings about my family: my mother, my older sister, and my father who passed away 14 years ago. I still remember the deep sadness and anger I felt when my mother rejected me when I was worst. Looking back she was just rejecting my illness. But it still hurts. I love her now, though. It’s a pretty conscious thing. Deep inside, I still feel angry with her, for her misunderstanding, rejection, coldness, etc…in the past. I try to love her and care about her. She is nice to me now.
My sis won’t talk to me anymore. I don’t even know her no. It’s my fault. We’ve lost connection. She has her own life and maybe she doesn’t want me to be part of her life anymore. It’s ok as long as she’s happy.
My family is very supportive. My sister, not so much, she sort of thinks schizophrenia is funny or ■■■■■■■■, so I dont talk to her. Shes bipolar, has borderline personality disorder and refuses mood stabilizers. She is a ■■■■ mess. She’s engaged to a guy and I talk to him and like him more than her by far.
The rest of my family is cool, but some of my paternal side stalked me down on these forums and said that this is all because I am an atheist. That’s cute, schizophrenia is on their side of the family. I heard a story about my dad’s cousin, Marlene, who was a paranoid schizophrenic who was just slightly less highly functioning than mouse. No im kidding, she was able to cook and clean in the house and drink scotch every night, from what I was told by my grandmother. Another of my dad’s cousins, Bonnie, was too ■■■■■■ up to get a clear diagnosis but died in a mental hospital, if that gives you a clue as to how well she was.
My maternal side is great. My aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins are all very supportive. I see them regularly and have deep conversations with one of my uncles, he is my godfather and I have a strong bond with him. I hangout with a couple of my cousins when they are in town, his two sons. They dont blame me, they’re all intellectual people and understand the basics of how genes and brains work.
But overall I do like my family, yes. Some people just don’t get it, they need to download a schizophrenia simulator playlist and put in on their ipod and listen to it on repeat for a whole day and manage to not kill someone or themselves.
Overall my family as a whole are basically understanding, but they really do not understand how tough it is to deal with a severe mental illness. My brother is basically a power hungry selfish opinionated ■■■■■■■ at times. he always has to have the first and last word on everything. We have our differences and we do not always see eye to eye. But deep down inside I do know that he cares, he just does not get mental illness really. He suffers from clinical depression, he should know better. My father tries to be supportive, but he doesnt really get it either. I am basically battling through this illness all by myself
All I have is a sister and brother- in-law and we get along ok, try to keep things light. My two nieces I haven’t seen in 15 years, my nephew-in-law and two grand nephews I’ve never met. Mostly because of the distance between us and because I am shy.
I have my parents, two sisters and a brother as immediate family. I feel like I am only half a son, half a brother some of the time because of my illness and the medication and sometimes that is my excuse to be selfish I think. I love them dearly and am thankful that I have them as family.
Although I am still having trouble accepting the very human faults of my family members, they are awesome and I love them dearly. I think that they have trouble accepting my faults as well, but we are making progress in that regard.
I appreciate my family, they have supported me and helped me get through these hard times. They also suffered with me. I just wish nowadays they wouldn’t be so self righteous and turn a ear to my point of view. I love my brothers greatly.
I was married and out of my parents house for 10 years before I got Dx’d. My parents had their own problems to deal with and to be fair, I tried to keep them from my problems as much as I could. I foolishly believed that my problems were for me (and my (ex)husband to take care of, only to learn I was very much on my own.
My family may not have believed in my D’x, but I never doubted their belief in me. I am proud to have them for my parents ( my dad passed away last year) and as far as the rest of the family goes, they are my family and I love and accept them all.
I love my family and I wouldn’t change them for the world, my mum, my dad and my grandad, also my nan on my dads side I feel and felt very close to and accepted by. My nan and my aunt don’t really understand but my mum never told them the full story as they had their own struggles when I was in hospital and she refuses to tell them now because they weren’t there then. I like them but noth their attitude towards life. My cousin and me are close, he accepts me no matter what. The rest of my family (my paternal side) know nothing my dad never told them which hurt as when I act weird or awkward they just think I’m odd and keep a distance.
