![]() My relative is still struggling on his unique path. I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief whose sole objective was to see how much I could take from other people - mostly drugs and alcohol, but also money and time. It’s easy to forget that 18 years ago, I was a crackhead living on the streets of Chicago. I couldn’t fully relate to him - I do not have schizophrenia - but I certainly knew what it felt like to be homeless and to battle a brain disease rife with faulty thoughts and beliefs. I squinted at my reflection in the mirror. I placed the phone on the bathroom sink and resumed flossing my teeth, wondering what it must be like to be homeless - how sad and scared someone must feel to be on the streets without the security of a home. “This is the last time I’m speaking to you,” he said, and hung up the phone. I hope he knew that the answer to that question was "no." I just didn’t know how else to help him until he was willing to accept that he had a problem, a difficult task for a person struggling with such a severe and debilitating condition. “So you’re giving up on your own family?” He paused. Go there for a bed, and they will help you get an ID.” I spoke to your nurse this morning, and they gave you a cab voucher to take to one of two shelters in the area. Why wouldn’t he? I’ve fallen for this tactic before. “You’re going to leave me on the street to starve?” he said, in an attempt to tug at my heartstrings. ![]() The conversation continued in the same circular fashion until finally I suggested he go to a homeless shelter. “Well if you just send me the money, I can figure something out.” “You don’t have any form of ID to check into a motel,” I said, using logic as my first line of defense. “Can you send me some money so I can check into a motel for a few nights?” he said, ignoring any pleasantries. Not knowing what else to do, I picked up. The phone continued to vibrate on my bathroom counter. Schizophrenia, a chronic brain disorder in which a person has difficulty interpreting reality, can involve symptoms including delusions, hallucinations, trouble focusing, and poor executive function skills, which are mental processes that enable a person to plan, organize, and self-regulate. ![]() Since he was a teenager, this relative has struggled with alcohol and substance abuse problems, and a mental illness that went undiagnosed for far too long. He got himself committed this last time after an attempted suicide: He overdosed on a bottle of antipsychotic medication. But, once I saw that he was struggling - we’re talking crippling delusions and paranoia that prevented him from trusting me to help with basic things like getting an ID card - I knew he still required hospitalization and monitoring. One of the last times this happened, I paid to put him up in a hotel for a couple nights and flew from New York City to Orlando, Florida, to be by his side. I probably sound heartless, but the truth is I’m simply at a loss for how to help. It was one of my relatives, no doubt panicked about not having anywhere to go after getting out of a crisis unit - his fourth visit since being diagnosed with schizophrenia in late 2018. When the phone rang, I wanted to ignore it, but I knew he would only keep calling.
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