“Being open is sometimes all it takes” – Florrie’s story

Florrie has been supporting her son through treatment resistant schizophrenia for 20 years. With the help of family, friends and peers from a Rethink Mental Illness support group, Florrie is able to cherish the positive moments.

Caring for someone with a severe and enduring mental illness is a bit like being on a roller coaster ride. At times, days go past fairly smoothly and then suddenly it all falls to pieces and you are in crisis mode.

Initially I’m usually having to deal with the crisis on my own, as I'm the one who would need to alert his CPN or social worker, and even then it can be a while before anyone responds. Sometimes I feel very much that I’m coping on my own. Luckily, I have a very supportive family and friends who make all the difference to my own mental health and ability to cope.

My son has had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia for over 20 years. He has been sectioned numerous times, both under section 2 and 3, and he has also been in prison for 7 months following an acute psychotic attack. In the last 18 months, he tried to take his own life whilst suffering from a psychotic episode. He is now treatment resistant. 

When he is sectioned, it is a huge relief as for a while we don’t need to worry about how he is. He feels safe and secure in our local psychiatric hospital, and responds well to routine and regular meals. He also enjoys the company of staff and other patients.

One of the great difficulties my son lives with when he is home is loneliness. There is very little socially that he can access, and seeing his friends have careers, families and relationships is very difficult to come to terms with.

He does love music, and when he’s well enough he will compose drum and bass. He also gets a lot of comfort from the local church which is very welcoming. When he is well, we enjoy meeting for coffee or lunch and occasionally a walk in the country. By nature he is generous and loving. Thankfully this part of his personality is still there.

In the past, I ran a Rethink Mental Illness support group. The group was a mixture of talks by experts, e.g. psychiatrists, pharmacists, community psychiatric nurses (CPN), and more informal meetings where we talked amongst ourselves, listened and exchanged information. It was great meeting new people, sharing knowledge and experience.

But like many groups it ran its course. Living in a semi-rural location, where there’s a small population and a lack of transport, makes it more difficult to sustain a viable group, but I am still in touch with a couple of people I met there.

Caring for someone you love with a severe mental illness is not for the faint hearted! But I have found that people are willing to share their experiences when they learn that you care for someone with a mental illness. Being open is sometimes all it takes.