So lately, where do I start I know i’ve been posting in here lots but yeah. I feel like I have to stand on my own two feet, I’ve been using my dad as a crutch since I got sick, but what if he is not there anymore, I mean he has his own life …and the other option is getting a boyfriend who can be there for me but that’s totally the wrong reason to get a boyfriend…I mean what if I can’t handle this on my own the schizophrenia thing I mean…my future looks so uncertain, I don’t want to end up on the streets or in a “home” with other sick people like my mom. I’m so scared that this disease will get the better of me and I will end up REALLY handicapped and unable to take care of myself…I mean what if it progresses and I lose all of my dreams, I lose myself. I don’t think I could handle that…
how long have you been sick?
5 years since I was 25
Well at least you’ve seen the ups and downs and hopefully know how to manage it. You can get on disability maybe and afford a small place and health insurance. Might help to work a part time job to make ends meet and pay for a cell phone. I don’t know the world can be pretty flexible with the mentally ill.
Your still pretty young, if you fight for it you may still recover. I’ve only had this illness for a couple years but I’m fighting like hell to stop my symptoms. It’s all about relaxation, validation, and making peace with the outside world. My voices went from being treacherous monsters to being back ground noise. Working on stopping the telepathic messages, I believe I can do this because there is no way that they are real.
Sorry I got side tracked, I should be helping you.
Take your time and plan your life carefully. Make plans that will work for decades. It is pretty hard for me to imagine affording a full life. I will have to be modest, but it is possible.
Thank you …I don’t know
Wish I could be more help. Maybe someone else will chime in.
The fact that your posting and getting some ideas…
keeping an eye on your health… is a very good sign.
Where do you start?
I’d say… start with www.nami.org
It’s national so there are chapters all over the place for people with an illness and for caregivers.
Maybe find a support group in your area? Or enroll in a day program if you can… that way you have access to resources… you’ll get some hands on info about who can help you handle money if you can’t. Insurance… SSI… visiting nurses if you need them.
I know you can’t use your Dad as a crutch… but you can include him in a crisis plan maybe?
Get the forms in place and signed so if you do end up in hospital the people who are helping you can get information on how you are doing… or maybe talk to a mental health lawyer who can help you set up a care team and get around the HIPPA.
But coming here is a great place to start to get ideas… good luck… don’t stress and
definitely check out www.schizophrenia.com
the site that hosts this forum… Lots of ideas and how too’s… where to start.
Good luck, I’m rooting for you.
i think its good that you want to be independent, its not impossible, just use the doubt and fear as motivation. set up goals that will help you move forward and go though with them. it might not go perfectly…but dont give up and think it was a mistake after one failure, sh!t happens in life, its only a mistake if you dont learn from it
You should get a local psych nurse with whom you can share your troubles. It would be their task to help you. Somehow I think that it is much better than these Internet forums where people are faceless and often in other parts of this world.
I guess you should make some more supportive relationships alongside your Dad. Try maybe a mental health group? Also, discuss your worries with your Dad so you can both try and solve the problem as it is scary and unknown whilst you avoid it…
Having a stable structured life would prolly help maybe having more than just a boyfriend could assist with this.
Life, itself is insecure. There is no perfect security. Your feelings are not unlike those normies your age have.