Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[patientpatient]

Hi @Gemima

Like @Former-Member, I also kept (and keep) a history of dates, meds, etc... It got really long, so there's now a summary version. It's useful when dealing with new med staff who haven't acquainted themselves with the notes or when attending a new hospital.

I'd recommend the book "Surviving Schizophrenia" by E. Fuller Torrey to help with understanding the illness. Another book is "The Family Guide to Mental Heath Care" by Lloyd Sederer, though it's not specific to schizophrenia.

When my son first had FEP (early 20's) and for a long time afterwards, the situation was "all tunnel and no light", a very difficult an intensely worrying time. It took years to get the meds sorted and they are still being changed. However, six years after FEP, the situation is generally stable. The illness didn't go away and we're stil dealing with it. 

Like @Sissy88, I found that seeing a psychologist is very very helpful, especially a psychologist who has experience with Sz. That's probably as good as talking to a professor.