This Life is Not So Bad
Difficult at first, things are better now
NEW YORK CITYVOICES: Spring 2006
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By Josephine V. Lucas I was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 19-years-old. I am 42-years-old now and I can say that my life is where I want it to be.
At 19-years-old, I was hospitalized and given medication. I believed then that I needed medicine. I had to live in a half-way house where people like me needed medicine. I ended up in a half-way house with no place to live.
Things weren�t working well for me with my parents and family. There was a lot of animosity between me and my family that still exists today. I could never go back home to live with them. They didn�t understand how to treat a person like me who is schizophrenic.
I still take meds even though I feel at times I don�t need it. I�ve been on meds most of my life and it is only recently that I asked myself if I still needed it. I don�t like taking the meds, but I take it to avoid going into the hospital. I believe it is important to monitor the meds with the doctor. It is important to be open with the doctor and tell him how you feel about the meds.
I�ve never been happier in my life and to live with a friend who cares about me. We have been living together for three years. It hasn�t been easy. There are ups and downs in the relationship, but we always work things through.
This year alone, I was hospitalized twice for not taking the meds. I hope someday I won�t need the meds, but for now I continue to take them under the doctor�s supervision. I no longer live in a mental health facility where I have to take the meds daily. I monitor myself with the meds and I only take it if I need it, especially at night if I can�t get a good night�s sleep.
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