Hello Sharon,

You love your son and want to do what you feel is best for him.  I understand that he has some limitations in functioning and you want to provide for him because those problems might have been there since he was a young kid.

I also understand how you feel about needing to be there for your son throughout his life.

A disclaimer: I'm not a professional with a degree or license.  I'm someone who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 22 years old and I've been the community leader and expert blogger for this web site for four years.

I'm sorry to tell you how I feel because I've been criticized for my opinion in the past.  It is this: a person diagnosed with schizophrenia needs to be able to function and be self-reliant.  I often recommend a halfway house or supported living or in some cases a good reputable group home with caring professional staff.

What you could see about doing right now to get financial assistance is to possibly declare your son as a dependent on your income tax returns and deduct the expenses you pay for his care and the cost of any medical treatments and other services not covered by Medicare of Medicaid or his government disability benefits when you itemize your expenses on the tax returns.

This is going to sound like a stretch however I also always maintain that parents who are caregivers take time out for themselves to rest and recharge their own batteries.  In some cities and towns in America there are mental health respite services where a mother or father can have a peer with a diagnosis come over to the house to spend time with their son or daughter while the parent goes out for the day or evening.

You cannot do this alone.  I suggest you contact NAMI to find a family support group in your city or town if you live in the U.S.  Call them at (800) 950-NAMI (6264) to get the name and number of your local affiliate.

In addition you can write SharePosts here to get support and feedback as you navigate living with your son who has mental health concerns.

Like I said I'm not a fan of adult children with schizophrenia living at home.  This is how I feel.  I lived in a halfway house for a year and then in supported living for just under two years.  My disability check paid for this housing.

At any rate should you really not want to go this route I recommend your son get help that can assist him in his recovery.  For that I would consider finding a good day program for him where he can be with other people who have mental illnesses during the day to get therapy and support.  Sometimes a day program will have a psychiatrist on staff to prescribe the meds so that you don't have the extra expense of a private doctor.  A day program is often paid by Medicaid.  At least when I attended the day programs for two years Medicaid paid for the programs and even gave me money for bus tokens to and from the day program.

Right now I'm going to ask the other parents who contribute to this web site to chime in with their own suggestions.  They will I'm sure give you their own take on how to navigate living with a son who has schizophrenia.

Regards,

Christina