My sister has problems with depression and anxiety in addition to narcolepsy. She is having a very difficult time. I have schizoaffective disorder, autism and GI issues going on and have had difficulty finding work that fits me. My sister is exploring disability and I am trying to explore services to help me out as well. We are both trying in life but for some reason my father has a problem with me being unemployed and trying to get services and my sister trying to get disability. Its very difficult for someone who does not have a disability to understand those who have a disability. I can’t imagine how some of you feel dealing with people who just don’t understand. I just hope some day that all this stigma will end. Feel free to share your story.
I think most people care more about their own lives, and their loved ones than complete internet strangers. No matter. That’s normal. It’s natural. That’s why we all need families, so that everyone in the world is loved and cared for by someone.
I’m sorry your father doesn’t understand. Like I said, family should care the most. I’ve stopped asking people to care or understand. I’m just grateful when someone does.
Its okay, I like to blow off some steam on here. Luckily I see my therapist tomorrow. I will definitely bring up the situation with my father. Thanks @anon55031185.
Make no mistake, your father has the issue not you. He should be going to therapy, not you! But learning how to deal with judgmental parents is really tricky. I run into that with my family too. Generally I let it roll off my back and don’t talk about it with them.
Funny that you mentioned that. My sisters and I have always thought my dad would benefit from therapy.
Lol. He probably thinks it’s a sign of weakness to go. Good luck trying to get him there. Personally, I just go myself and fume about it in a totally healthy way for a really long time and then I’m totally fine until next time……….lol
This has helped quite a bit. Everything you have said is true. Feeling a little better. Now just gotta rant my issues to my therapist tomorrow.
Have fun ranting. 
Lol. I will. 1515
And if you think you’ve ranted enough, add a couple paragraphs for good measure to help yourself feel better. It’s not like the therapist can run away……
Haha. I will make sure to right a novel.
I take it in stride but my dad thinks I should work…I’ve tried, time and time again…schizophrenia you might explain to your dad that causes great brain damage…I am unable to work, so I paint art. and sing and play instruments.
once we went on vacation to Omaha, and I got the 3 of us tickets to see Wicked.
My son, Down syndrome, was making noises,
and people kept turning around and staring us,
upset.
These tickets were 80 bucks a piece,
so at intermission, we left, something I don’t typically do.
another time on the Tri-City tours bus
taking my son to Wrigley Field,
a guy on the bus was showering
us with accolades.
just depends.
For the first 6 years after my first psych admission I lived with my parents, and then just my dad. There was a lot of high expressed emotion. In 1983 I left hospital with a woman that I married a few years later. She was more supportive than my parents and siblings had ever been. By that time my mum was living with a school teacher,and my dad was mid way through his posting as British consul general to Atlanta. That meant he was the head British diplomat covering several Southern USA states. In 1985 that job ended and he decided to retire and stay in the USA.
The support from my parents which had not been great anyway dwindled. even more. The truth is my wife before she had vascular dementia , and my (s)daughter and granddaughters have been far more been far more supportive and aware of the difficulties I have than my birth family and the mental health professionals have been.
The psych pros in Essex went beyond being merely inept to being actively hostile. In 2017 I moved near my (s) daughter. She dealt with everything ito do with the move including, talking to psych services here.
Psych services here have been far better. I can’t fault them at all, but there’s little they can do to fix the damage caused by decades of inept and hostile treatment by the previous mental health pros.
My (s)daughter agreed to do a carer’s assessment and is now officially my carer. That means she she can get support from social services, if needed. She’s authorised to be informed of anything to do with the council/housing,and health issues etc involving me. Power of attorney has been mentioned.
I don’t live a high powered lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. In fact matched against a person of my age and intelligence from the general population it’s rather basic and low level. It’s far better though compared to how things were in Essex, where I was becoming more and more self neglectful
After the falls my my (s) daughter is working at getting me moved to more suitable accommodation . No easy task as it needs to be centrally located and suitable re mobility issues etc. I use a walker to get about indoors, and am now on a fair amount of medication; including one that requires me to show a card stating I’m on an anticoagulation med.
Thankfully,so far, there has been no cognitive deterioration. When you’re a 65 year old long term psych patient the possibility of developing dementia can’t be easily swept away.
I honestly dont know what my family truely thinks of me not working they dont say anything about it though my mom and step mom understand
My father has never openly criticised me for not working, but the truth is he’s in contact with my sister, who has a good job, far more than with me,He doesn’t really know to interact with me. We have a shared interest in tracing our family history, but even then he puts a slight dampener on what I think may be significant steps forward.
People have said to me that I don’t have a disability. People usually don’t understand sz.
Just try to make the best of it. In a couple of months I’ll start to work part-time again.
Right now services still want me to try to work because I’m only 35. That’s also the reason why doctors don’t indefinitely approve my disability. They say I’m too young despite having a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
@firemonkey Great to hear your cognition is still going great. Personally I would prefer to need a walker than having Alzheimer’s.
Thank you. Yes-definitely better to need a walker than to have dementia. The latter is infinitely worse than the former.
Cognition wise I’ve always been lead to believe through the usual methods of assessing fluid/non-verbal intelligence that I have a comparative cognitive weakness in that area. Not very low but significantly lower than my crystallised/verbal intelligence. It seems however that my spatial intelligence is comparatively weak rather than my fluid intelligence.
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