My Aunt has schizophrenia and some other mental health issues. She is on the right meds at the moment and things seem to be going well for her, but it's always in the back of my mind that she could slip back. When she is good she is great and when she is unwell she is full of hurt. The hallucinations that were once her dearest friends, now are frightening her. she becomes rapid and irrational and she can't focus. It's difficult but she will most of the time tell you she is having a bad day/week/month, she sees her medical professionals frequently to stay on top of things and if she is unwell we ask her if we can do anything to make that day easier. Support for everyone in these situations are important for everyone.

I used to live with her and her partner when she was at her worst. They had both developed a pretty big weed addiction by the time left. She did a lot of shitty stuff during that time to everyone. My tipping point that caused me to walk away for over a year was after she became physically violent towards me and my cat. I had learnt how to walk around on eggshells with her but that night I was too upset. I had just discovered that for another week we'd have no money for rent or food because she spent it on purchasing weed. I was seething, so I didn't respond or say anything to her as I walked through the hallway, on my way to go to bed. That was what set her off. She shoved me against a wall, threw a punch deliberately missing me. She began spewing death threats, and screeching my fear and my anxieties while also screaming about things she believed I had thought/done/said. I shoved her away from me and that caused her to become more furious and from there she kicked my cat. After I rescued my cat and retreated to my room, I called my dad to come and take us somewhere safe. He was furious with her. When she realized that my dad (a man built like a gorilla from years in the army/working in security) had arrived to pick me up at 2am she stopped trying to intimidate me and sulked away to go smoke some more but not before sending me a nasty message.

She made it a mission of hers for a while to attempt to turn the family against me but by that point she had abused the trust of too many people. I struggled to get past her behavior until she decided to kick the habit and admitted that she was wrong. She has also admitted that her delusions, paranoia, mood swings and hallucinations were at their peak during that point.

All that happened back then was not "her". When she is well she is kind, loving, funny, witty, empathetic and so much more... we unfortunately sometimes forget the good things and times.

She actually has a book published based off her experiences growing up with schizophrenia.