Schizophrenia

I am reading a book titled Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker (2020). It is a true story about the Galvin family, an American family from Colorado with twelve children, six of whom are diagnosed with schizophrenia. It is an interesting read. I see some similarities between the sick children and my daughter. It is also a disheartening read, because it reminds me of how my daughter once seemed like a child with limitless potential. Today, I am mourning a little for her lost opportunity to live a relatively normal life, the kind of life that most of us take for granted and enjoy to a large extent. It is a recurring regret that pops up for me, occasionally. It is similar to what family caregivers for parents with dementia describe, only it lasts a lifetime. Her situation seems utterly and absurdly unfair to me. But I know a lot of other persons have lives that are unfair in various other ways. I want to fix things for her that cannot be fixed. I want to take her into our home and be infinitely patient with her, trying to reason with her and break through her delusional thinking. But she can sure be a handful, which is one reason why I suppose one sees so many like her living homeless on city streets in the USA. I lost my patience with her on the phone last night. Compassion fatigue. So, I am feeling bad about that today.

#Schizophrenia #MentalHealth #MentalIllness
#Delusions #Hallucinations #Disability #Mourning #Caregiving #Bookstodon