Good question - how would I define remission ?  

Remission or a lack of symptoms or a better life came to me with after seeing a specialist on schizophrenia.       He had me interviewed by eleven psychiatrists (all in the same room) and prescribed two different anti-psychotics, Zyprexa and Serequel.      Those two drugs, along with an anti-convulsant and a mood stabilizer completely changed my life.       All my symptoms were gone.

I still take these drugs, although in smaller doses, to this day, nine years later and I am a comletely full funtioning human being.

I feel that the definition of remission is, as you said, a unique, individual experience.       Some people, I think, would consider remission to be doing better than just "getting by" on a daily basis.

Drug treatment was certainly my miracle and I agree that getting meds stabilized is the major goal.     This, of course, has to be supported by therapy, counselling and gradually learning how to do things that you couldn't do before.

I found that a great key for me was in "re-learning" all the things in life that need to be done (daily living skills).    I hope that people can find good daycare programs and therapists to bring them back to society.  It certainly was a while until I could get back to life.

Don Fraser

To me it seems that in schizophrenia there is never complete remission, defined as total absence of symptoms and disease.  But there are definitely times of partial remission.  I think that in the back of my mind (figuratively and otherwise) there will always be remnants.  They play with the cadence of my thoughts.