Schizophrenia-please help me out. i really apreciate it?

ok so my brother has schizophenia and he has had it for about a year he is 17 and I am 15 and it is really hard for me. everyday he crys and acts violent but 30% of time he is stable. not to be selfish but its almost like ruining my life. i understand he has voices and it is really hard for him but i feel like he acts very selfish like he spends my parents hard earned money on like things he will never use. and my parents favor him so much and i feel so lonely in my house. he has been in a mental hospital several times. i just feel like really upset alot because i have to keep this secret from my best friend ever because my parents feel that my brother wouldnt want people to know and it is to respect him. because it is not his fault he is sick. and also if i tell my best friend she might tell her parents and word might get around. i just need advice on how to cope with all of this , i already have a therapist. i hope on this ppl can use their experience to help me. please hlp me. thank

Hey, I understand 100%. I grew up with a mentally ill brother, he isnt schizo. but he had violent mood swings and was put into hospitals many times while they tried to figure his meds out. So, I have been dealing with this for over 20 years, his illness began showing when he was younger.

Its soo hard, they do need extra attention. Some of my friends knew, some of them didnt. My mom didnt care if other people knew though. And I think, it is less stressful for you, if youre good, trustworthy friends do know! I dated a guy one time and never mentioned that my brother was a bit "off" and when the time came to introduce the boyfriend into my life, it was stressful trying to explain my brother, etc. Needless to say, this guy totally didnt get it, he was a jerk.

So, I always feel better when my friends/boyfriend know about my brother, and accept him. It takes a big weight off my shoulder, because if they have a problem with a mentally challanged person, why would I be their friend??

I think your parents need to stop worrying abou people knowing, this is life! Other people have that illnes, it isnt anyting to be ashamed of!

All I can say is, it gets better as you get older. I used to cry about why this happened to me, why do I have to deal with all this worrying about my brother, wouldnt things be easier without my brother??? A lot of bad thoughts like that, but think about it...your brother has given you a different perspective on life, and Im sure you are a very sweet girl because of your experience like me.

You need to tell your parents that you are telling your friend, and tell them not to be so worried or embarrsed of your friends family knowing.

Hope I helped a bit, youll be ok =) Itll get easier when they figure out his meds, it can take a long time.

No question, this is a very hard situation and I fee for you 100%! I believe strongly that you need to be able to share your struggles with the VERY top and trusted friends in your life so that you can truly be your self with them and get the support that you need. i might suggest that you pick a good moment and explain to your folks that you would like to be able to open up to one or two friends. You are lucky to have a therapist but friends are so important as you noted. I wish you the best as you go through all of this!

It is important to know if there is a paranoid feature to your brother's schizophrenia. Then, it is important to determine if your brother is exhibiting sociopath's personality characteristics. I think it is mandatory that you and your brother be treated by professionals in different clinics. To avoid exchange of confidential information among the staff. It is only human that strict confidentially is not always followed to the letter in the mental health environment. Good luck to both of you.

big hug, schizophrenia is a hard one even more so for the one who has it. it steals the life of those it are involved

i have a aunt who is in her 70yrs who has had it most of her life. she doesn't have it very bad but she is still disabled by it. she has been taken meds for it but when she gets in a cycle where she feels good. she will stop taking her med. and then a crash will happen. she will fall down deep in the fiery pits of hell. then she will go into the hospital until she feels better. she does mange well for someone who is schizophrenic and has gotten better over the years.

your parents favor your brother because of his disability. he needs more help just for basic self management. the more time they spend on your brother now is less time you will need to spend on him when your parents are no longer around.

your friends need to know about him. because every human needs to learn about schizophrenia and not to discriminate those who have it. be a advocate, teach your friends about schizophrenia.

when you don't live at home anymore you will feel better. try to do things with only your parent(s) once in a while when you can. talk to your parents openly about your concerns.

it takes a life time to figure out what life is about then we have to start all over again.

gee... did it ever occur to you to be thankful you weren't born with the same condition as your brother? that in itself should make every day of your life a happy day and every thing else a minor inconvenience...

I think the best thing you can do is to educate yourself on your brothers illness. I hear voices and although I'm not SZ, I understand some of what he is going through. I only say some because there are a lot of symptoms that he has that I don't.

It is understandable that your parents are spending time and money to get him the best help possible. One of the reason they spend so much time with him is so they know he's safe.

I don't think your parents favor him more. It just feels that way right now. Remember it's still pretty new to you and your family. You should let them know your feelings. They probably don't even realize that there not there for you as much as before or as much as you would like. Maybe you can ask your parents each to spend some one on one time with you. You can express your feelings and enjoy a whole day just for you.

This is also a private issue that your family has to decide on. I know you would like to talk it over with your best friend but give it some time, your parent's made some very good point's on the subject. Take it from me. I wish I never told some of my friends. I have also lost a lot of friends due to my illness.

I'm going to leave you these links

This one is for education
http://www.intervoiceonline.org/

This one is for your brother. It is a support group. I'm a member and it has helped me tremendously
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/voi...

This one is a support group for you and your parents.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/voi...

Take care and don't give up!