My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 18. It took two court ordered visits to the local mental health crisis unit before FINALLY one doctor believed his father and I and diagnosed the situation. The first visit - he was seen by the "hottest expert" on schizophrenia in our area and I was told that I needed to get a restraining order on him and he told my son he needed to "grow up" and he released him. Two days later I found him walking AGAINST traffic on a 6 lane highway and I called the police and had him admitted once again. This time they kept him and started medication.

That started 5 years of drugged hell for my son. Oh, the meds stopped the violence - the best thing I suppose -- but the voices never stopped. 24/7 they tormented him. The first med made him a walking zombie - for a year he lived like that. Then the second med brought my son back from the living dead. He could function almost normally, but the side effects were horrible. We tried a third med and within 48 hours he was being chased around the house by the Blair Witch trying to kill him. It took another 48 hours of constantly being with him (the only time she didn't try to get him was when I was in the room - I even had to go into the bathroom with him during that time) and it took 4 days before we could get through to his doctor at the mental health clinic to get him back on his other meds. Thank GOD for the pharmacist who gave us enough of his Zyprexia to get him through until the doctor finally talked to us and the pharmacy -- and I had to threaten law suit and coming down to the clinic and standing on the receptionist desk screaming for attention until we got through.

Then we tried one more med -- he told me the voices were less but more violent -- but he could handle them. His doctor saw him on Friday for about 5 min (which is about all they ever saw him - 5-10 min every 3 months)-- Monday night he left us. When I told the doctor she said - well that's not unusual -- when schizophrenic patients start feeling better is when they usually commit suicide. I asked her if she didnt feel that would have been a valuable piece of information to give us BEFORE they switched him -- but they rationalized it that he had told them he was fine 4 days before.

Why have I told you this? Because I want everyone to be aware that they have to be SOOOoo responsible for their loved ones care -- or their own -- because even with as much as I thought I had researched the illness and the new meds -- I failed to save my son ----

Be careful out there ----