• What is schizophrenia? - definitions we use/hear - what it is not
• What do you think happens in your son’s head when symptomatic? What does it look like to you and your family? What do you observe?
• What changes when treatment is effective? What doesn’t change?
• Positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
• How can we empathize?
• What effect do street drugs have on treatment?

Quotes:

“Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling. People with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment.” - MayoClinic

“The fact that he would have this constant loop of negative voices in his head, and I have no ability to fix it or help him...it’s devastating” - Mimi

“And I’ve heard him whisper, under his breath, ‘no, that’s just my mom’ which makes me think ‘what are the voices telling him about me?’”- Randye 

“Sometimes he’ll do a reality check on the ‘voices.’  He’ll say ‘Mom, did you just say you don’t like me?’ And I assure him I would never say that” - Mindy