I was first diagnosed with bipolar, then schizophrenia, and finally schizoaffective last year. I have a 5 year old son who is happy, outgoing, and is doing well in school. Mental illness runs in my family. Growing up, my mother was depressed constantly, and I felt neglected.
I am very careful about making sure my son gets lots of attention from me. I make sure that we stick to a routine. I schedule everything in my phone and it will ring to remind me to do the most mundane of activities: for example, wake up, take meds, make breakfast, pick son up from bus, do homework, you name it, it is in my phone. For all of the awful sypmtoms we have to deal with all the time, the ring gets me back on track.
I have my son help me whenever possible, I have found he is happy as long as we are doing things together.
When I am depressed, I usually suggest that we watch a movie and I will cuddle with him. Even if I am not “all there” he is never left alone. When I am hearing voices, I will say lets have “quiet time” and he can come in my room with me and either color or read. The important thing is that he knows I am there with him. I never lock my door.
Even if it turns out that my son has mental illness I believe that I am teaching him ways to keep moving forward and not just simply, “check out”. My son is the best thing that ever happened to me and I intend to raise him like the person I wish I could be.
Today I have been depressed, psychotic, and then depressed again about being psychotic.