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Old Nov 11, 2007, 05:18 PM
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spiritual_emergency spiritual_emergency is offline
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Member Since: Feb 2007
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<blockquote>
I echo Rainbowzz sentiments to a large measure. In spite of your mental health background I suspect that you have a stereotyped image of what "schizophrenia" looks like. If you're like many people, you probably envision a lifetime of chronicity and incurability as interspersed with random acts of violence and lack of control. That's not necessarily what you're getting yourself into.

If you're considering becoming intimately involved with this man I suggest you start out slowly by forming a friendship. Get to know him, his history and his current forms of treatment. Here's a few links that might help provide a bit more insight. The first is to the blog of a woman who's been married to a man diagnosed with schizophrenia for ten years, the second link is to the blog of a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who doesn't seem to lack for female companionship.
[*] The Wife of a Schizophrenic
[*] 4th Avenue Blues Blog


Those blogs offer snapshots of two men who are adhering to mainstream treatment protocols. Personally, I feel that the opportunity for recovery is much better outside of the mainstream mileau but I share those links with you because it's quite likely the man you're interested in is following a similar treatment program. As a result, those blogs can offer you a more realistic perspective. Bear in mind, it's a limited perspective. The course and outcome of "schizophrenia" is different for each individual. For the perspective of some individuals who are not or have not followed mainstream treatments, you can try here: Voices of Recovery.

Overall, someone who has been identified as "schizophrenic" is someone who is going through an extreme form of personal crisis. In some cases, they will make a full recovery, in some cases, they won't. Either way, you should expect that there will be a period of undetermined time when medication, therapy and possibly other forms of healing treatment will be a part of your life as long as he is part of yours. It's also likely that there may be a period of time when they are not able to financially provide for themselves. As noted, this may be temporary or of a longer duration -- the variance factor is found in the degree of recovery.

As a closing note, you said something that caught my eye: I want desperately to be with him. I would also suggest that you explore this sense of desperation and what it's all about.


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