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As most of you know, I teach, and am my state's coordinator for, the NAMI Family-to-Family education program. The course is aimed at educating family caregivers of individuals with serious mental illness (Depression, BiPolar, Schizophrenia, etc). The class helps them understand the nature of these illnesses as real biological illnesses and gives them some tools and skills (problem solving, communications, self-care) to better cope with and help their ill loved ones.
We just finished one of these courses in June and one of the ladies, I'll just call her Estelle, was taking the class for her daughter, Tomasita, 23, who had Schizophrenia along with Diabetes.
Wednesday of last week I got an email from one of the other class members telling me that Estelle's 23 year old daughter, who had just suffered another major psychotic break, had been found dead. Due to her pshychotic break she had stopped taking her medication, not just for her schizophrenia, but also her diabetes medication. They believe she went into a diabetic coma and died.
Then, if that wasn't bad enough, last night I got a text message from my Daughter-in-Law's father telling me that my DIL's 25 year old brother had been found dead earlier that day. My DIL was at work until 8PM that night so we went to her and my son's apartment to be there when she came home so we could tell her what had happened. It was a very difficult evening last night. No details are known, but a drug overdose is suspected. "Nick" had been fighting demons of alchohol and drugs for years and his family often talked about this as a real possibility if he couldn't get his life straightened out. Nevertheless, he is gone now and of course the family is understandably devistated.
We just finished one of these courses in June and one of the ladies, I'll just call her Estelle, was taking the class for her daughter, Tomasita, 23, who had Schizophrenia along with Diabetes.
Wednesday of last week I got an email from one of the other class members telling me that Estelle's 23 year old daughter, who had just suffered another major psychotic break, had been found dead. Due to her pshychotic break she had stopped taking her medication, not just for her schizophrenia, but also her diabetes medication. They believe she went into a diabetic coma and died.
Then, if that wasn't bad enough, last night I got a text message from my Daughter-in-Law's father telling me that my DIL's 25 year old brother had been found dead earlier that day. My DIL was at work until 8PM that night so we went to her and my son's apartment to be there when she came home so we could tell her what had happened. It was a very difficult evening last night. No details are known, but a drug overdose is suspected. "Nick" had been fighting demons of alchohol and drugs for years and his family often talked about this as a real possibility if he couldn't get his life straightened out. Nevertheless, he is gone now and of course the family is understandably devistated.
