A Family’s Struggle with Schizophrenia
by Chuck Krueger
Room
for J, a new
book on one family’s struggle with schizophrenia,
started out as a way for Dan S. Hanson of Maple Grove to work through
his thoughts and feelings on his son’s mental illness. Journaling,
he says, was “my way to cope.”
But Dan’s journals grew into a way for his whole family
to become involved, to share with each other, to have a voice and “help
put a face on mental illness.”
J, or Joel, is 30
years old and has been ill since he was 20. During these 10 years,
Dan said, “Joel has always believed
he is God. There has been no break in that. The form of God he
believes he is has evolved or changed, but there has been no break
in it.”
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Joel has been on many anti-psychotic
medications and combinations of medications over the years, including
clozaril, haldol, zyprexa, risperdal, lithium, and others. None
have really worked, although they seem to calm the psychosis down.
Dan explained, “He still believes he’s
God, talks telepathically to other people. He is still under
commitment and does not have insight into his illness. His delusions
have not gone away.”
Despite his illness,
Dan said, “Joel is doing quite well
right now. He’s working part-time, taking medications and
will soon be moving to his own place.”
Because Joel’s illness impacts the whole family, Dan persuaded
his wife, daughter, oldest son, and Joel, all to include journal
entries in the book. The book, remarked Dan, is “one family’s
journey through mental illness and how they are able to love and
care for the person even though it is very difficult at times.
The title has the double meaning of making room for Joel in our
family, family acceptance, and for making room in our society for
all the Js.”
Dan and his wife,
Sue, have attended NAMI Family-to-Family education classes on
mental illness where they learned a few things about coping and
also that they are not alone. “It was helpful
to us to know that others were facing similar things,” said
Dan. He said they also learned, “how to set boundaries and
deal with feelings of hopelessness.”
He advised other families
with a loved one with mental illness to “find others who
are going through similar things. Get in touch with NAMI to understand
the illness and learn how to care for yourself and the person
you love.”
Room
for J has a lot
of photos of the family and Joel, and Dan says they were put
in the book for an important reason. “We
wanted to be a voice for all families and put a face on mental
illness,” he said. “And we wanted to show it affects
all families.”
The book also offers guidance
and hope to families facing a very difficult struggle. To order,
call 1-800-901-3480 or go to www.BookHouseFulfillment.com.
This article is re-printed
with permission from the NAMI-Minnesota ADVOCATE newsletter.
For more information about NAMI’s programs,
call 651-645-2948.
