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I was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 19-years-old. I am 42-years-old now and I can say that my life is where I want it to be.

At 19-years-old, I was hospitalized and given medication. I believed then that I needed medicine. I had to live in a half-way house where people like me needed medicine. I ended up in a half-way house with no place to live.

Things weren’t working well for me with my parents and family. There was a lot of animosity between me and my family that still exists today. I could never go back home to live with them. They didn’t understand how to treat a person like me who is schizophrenic.

I still take meds even though I feel at times I don’t need it. I’ve been on meds most of my life and it is only recently that I asked myself if I still needed it. I don’t like taking the meds, but I take it to avoid going into the hospital. I believe it is important to monitor the meds with the doctor. It is important to be open with the doctor and tell him how you feel about the meds.

I’ve never been happier in my life and to live with a friend who cares about me. We have been living together for three years. It hasn’t been easy. There are ups and downs in the relationship, but we always work things through.

This year alone, I was hospitalized twice for not taking the meds. I hope someday I won’t need the meds, but for now I continue to take them under the doctor’s supervision. I no longer live in a mental health facility where I have to take the meds daily. I monitor myself with the meds and I only take it if I need it, especially at night if I can’t get a good night’s sleep.