Thanks for your encouragement.

I basically started living on my own after my parents kicked me out. They said that they found it to be too taxing to take care of someone who could possibly go off her medication and be out of control. My Mom declared that she was not a mental health professional and that I was better off living in a halfway house where people would know how to handle me if I went off my meds.

Pretty harsh.

However, I have adjusted to not living at home, and being kicked out really jump-started my independence. I was sort of forced to become independent and not rely on my parents. I have to say, though, that I have always been very tough and so in some ways have been able to cope with my illness better than some. I basically don't show outward signs of the illness, and this has pretty much been the case throughout, even in the days before I partially cured myself through orthomolecular medicine and was very sick. It sometimes took everything I had just to appear normal, but I did.
I also remember a counselor friend of my mom commenting that I was an atypical case because I was willing to talk openly to my mom about my hallucinations.

The megavitamin therapy that cured my depression and reduced my hallucinations obviously helped me not be so miserable with this thing, and some of the things that I have tried since -- craniosacral therapy, flower essences, colonics -- have helped my energy levels. These things have made day-to-day living easier.

I also see my schizophrenia as part of my spiritual evolution through life. I have been committed to this and interested in this sort of thing (self-help books, new age spirituality, etc.) for a while. I had a lot of anger issues from early childhood on, and when I started to deal with those issues in the years of my early adulthood everything just sort of exploded on me and I became ill. I am still learning new ways to channel my energy and I see life as a journey. This definitely keeps things meaningful and interesting, and my spiritual life sustains me.

Anyway, I am still finding my way, and living independently is hard. It can be especially challenging socially. I am also finding it difficult financially. Being disabled is good for me because I don't have to work when working would be tough for me, but it is also not sustaining me financially. Soon I am going to have to get a job and that is going to be hard.

Has your son tried any alternative therapies? He also may benefit from self-help books and books on personal growth and spirituality. People don't just get sick. They get sick for a reason, and if they can get in touch with the underlying issues that caused them to give up or to be self-destructive (or whatever may have lead to their illness on a psychological level) they can begin to have a positive outlook and live a life full of meaning.