I appreciate everyone sharing their stories. Stuff like this is way more widespread than people think, it's just so socially awkward to talk about it that it rarely comes up. My brother has schizophrenia and my family has been dealing with it for 20 years now. There have been periods of good in there, and periods of awful. My parents (especially my mom) take the brunt of the awful, but I've gotten my share too.
He has been in the hospital multiple times, but once they get him back on his meds he is released. And then he is good for a while, as long as he takes his pills. But sooner or later he misses one or two, and then his brain tells him that the pills are evil or controlling him, and he stops taking them and things spiral out of control.
A couple months ago he made threatening comments to my mom and dad and they got the RCMP to come and get him. He was only in the hospital for a couple days though, before he talked his way out. He's definitely not taking his meds every day right now, or if he is, they're not working any more.
Here is an unedited email I got from him back in April, to give you an idea of what my family has been dealing with for 20 years:
Did you here? Ottawiian Roast Pig in Toronto in their park! Ottawiian Roast Pig, aw man, if that gets into Fort Mac, they'll shut the whole place down. Someone, stop them, d'ya hear!
No kidding at all. Ottawiian Roast Pig. They're too stupid in Toronto, this is bad. Did you know they start heading for Red Deer when and if that's that in T.O.? They're too stupid for Toronto, now. Gad.
Ottawiian Roast Pig is Ottawiian Roast Pig! These are the stupidest people you have ever seen, literally. I know that Dad thought it was the Sysco buyer that made Mark too snobby to bother. They'll Ottawiian Roast Pig, Mac attack, and are displaying Dwarf Star Class Pediphilia openly and at the workplace.
This information has been brought to Dr. Beshai's attention, completely. That does not give me my job back, what so ever. Dr. Safa Beshai is chief of psychiatry at Red Deer Region Hospital, so I guess that's that for your little brother. Hopeless.
Thank you for keeping me in the loop, though. Honest, those are the stupidest people you have ever seen, really. Yuck totally, yuck right now, and yuck to maximum.
Not kidding though. Ottawiian Roast Pig in Fort Mac, no mercy at all. Those are multi billion dollar industrial installations. No mercy? Those stupidest people are the stupidest people on earth. What a mess. Red Deer is some total mess, total. All them Fort Macers keep their significant others here. Disgusting mess, really, really. Them Hell's Angels sure don't at all understand anything. Hell's bells, the Piranhas would take over. The Piranhas!
Regards.