Hi Christina: well, my friends dropped me completely when they found out I had schizophrenia. My best friend actually threw me out of his house. I made other friends , though. Most of them , however were people with mental health issues.
My real strength and Godsend was my family. My father was a medical librarian so as soon as I was diagnosed, the whole family was educated about my malady.
Have a great day !
Don Fraser
This does happen to my son who"s just diagnosed from BP. First, all his close friend thought he was crazy or was under a demon. His old friends are afraid of being around him, like he carries some kind of a deadly virus. The thing is that all his friends and teachers dont know what his illness is all about as we never tell them about it. BP is very uncommon, and rare illness in my cocuntry. Even some psychologist here never heard about it.
The biggest problem my son is facing right now, he longs for old time with his old friends. (my son goes to a different high school recently, and all his old friends remains in the old school).
I am his mother and feel so sorry about him, he really missed his friends but no one contacts or calls him. He feels so depressed since he cannt make new freind at his new school and he still hope that his old friends will treat him nicely just like old time.
Sometimes I think that people can be freinds when you are on top of the world. But when you are on the bottom of the world, everyone will soon leave you. Then what the proverb says "a friend in need is a friend indeed" is really really hard to find
Hello vivi,
I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your son.
I'm also concerned that in your country, mental health treatment is not on par with medical treatment.
Is there a support group your son could attend, or create on his own? Maybe even if he saw a therapist with a couple of other teens.
That isn't the solution to stigma, I know.
Yet keep the hope that as he gets older, he will meet people who care about him and want to be his friends.
Regards,
cb
Hello Vivi,
Do understand how you are hurting with your son, and his isolation and loss of friends at this time. From your ASK question I see that the diagnosis of your young son and his treament is really in the very early stages.The illness may still be evolving and the medications still not be stabilised and having their best effect..
Although the loss of friends is a very tangible part of the confusing and devastating changes BP disorder has brought on your family,I would think that the main thing to focus on just now would be getting optimum meds in place and adjustments, and a good support network for your son and you, so that he can feel safe, moving forward in small steps. As he becomes more 'himself' again he will hopefully be able to look outside again, and make more new friends who come to know and value him as he is .
Good luck,
Chris,
UK
Chris, i too feel lonely and wish i had a person whom i can call and tell everything.i am not able to jell with the normal persons,eiither they are very intelligent or very less intelligent,i am scared to tell either of them that i am a sz and cannot do the normal things like cooking, i had a lost a very good friend when i had my third relapse,recently i mailed him but he didnot reply,i also fought with my favoutite well wisher cousin,she took care of me,when i fought with her she was hurt and left me,i begged for her forgiveness after i became well,but she was stubborn,till now i feel lonely due to that.
punitha
Hi Christina,
You are certainly blessed to have so many good friends and they in turn are blessed to have you as a friend. If I lived in NYC I would seek you out to be one of my friends. Right now my brother is my only offline friend. As you know, I tend to keep to myself, but Nancy and Pam are warming me up. Online friends like them help me to reach towards health and balance. I count myself fortunate to have contact with them and with you. I look up to you Christina, for all your kindness and hard work. I'm very glad that you have made a success out of hard circumstances. Best of all for me is that you get me to think about important subjects with your writing. Never stop.
Cheers!!
Kate : )
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Christina, you are right about having supporting friends. My birth family have never supported me. My chosen family has. My wife being my biggest support. She knew last week I was in distress. I'm fortunate that she knew the signs, and how to get me to the hospital.
When I was in AA I had a circle of friends. We hung out together all the time. I'm not sure what happened or how, but the circle broke up. All the friends I had in AA relapsed. And by doing that I abandoned them. I didn't want to relapse.
I had work friends. But as soon as I left,, they turned their back on me.
I have friends online. People I can rely on. I know it's hard making cyber friends, but for me it's harder making realtime friends.
Having a good support system is extremely necessary.
sincerely, Dave
Hi Dave,
If I recall correctly, there's an expression, "people, places and things," and so you were right to leave behind the friends who relapsed and not join them in their addictions.
Cheers,
cb