Yes, there are one or two decent places!
Your S’s speech is wonderful on many levels. I appreciate the honesty and integrity in the way he tells his story. The support of those around him in getting him to this particular place is obvious and I very much credit his wise parents and grandparents in getting him needed help and being there through this process. Congratulations on having raised a wonderful young man.
Thank you to you and your son for sharing your story. It is ironic that I would happen to notice the link to your message hiding to the left of my computer screen as I looked up an unrelated item preparing for college for our high school daughter. Maybe it was the Longhorn reference. Our family is, I suspect, at the beginning of a similar process with our son, also a LH who we brought home from Austin shortly after the beginning of this fall semester. Unfortunately he is in more denial of recognizing or perhaps acknowledging the problems he is facing. And we are in the stage of struggling with wondering what the actual problem is and how we can get him to get the help we know he needs. We are learning that the systems and rules that are set up for privacy or other reasons make it very difficult in dealing with an “adult” who is resistant. It is a new world. Thankfully he is currently also planning to stay home for the Spring – so one step down and at least we will not have the worry of him away. Your son’s story is encouraging and yet still difficult to read because I recognize the journey he has gone through is one that we have just started. I’m glad your son’s presentations went so well. Congratulations to you both for your courage and success and prayers for more to come.
The stigma and bias is sickening when it comes to mental illness. Have a friend who’s 11 year old daughter is agoraphobic, is a school refuser, has an anxiety disorder, ADHD, ODD, and a very long term problem with constipation. My friend is in the process of moving her daughter to residential treatment because the child has only left her house 6 times since August. However, when my friend and her family went to a Thanksgiving event and the child was with her, many other friends criticized behind my friend’s back. It was shocking to me, as they have no idea what my friend is going through or how painful it is.
@Bpositive15, thanks for sharing! I’m glad your son is getting help. 50% of people with a severe mental illness don’t believe they are ill, so it’s challenging. But he is very fortunate to have your support. Things will be OK.
@NorthernMom61, stories like yours are why I know my family needs to keep speaking up. I want people to realize, “Wow, if a ‘normal’ family like MaineLonghorn’s is going through this, it could happen to anybody!’”
Thank you ML for always sharing your family’s story- you’ve helped educate us all.
Sending good thoughts and prayers to your son.
My nephew is one of the 50% of severely mentally ill young adults who feels he is fine. He has been hospitalized several times, but always released after a few days because he is over 18 and says that he is not a danger to himself or others. I think he graduated from high school because the school wanted to be done with him.
It is heartbreaking to watch his parents try to deal with him. It seems that until he accepts that he is mentally ill (bi-polar illness runs in our family) and seeks help, nothing will change.
Any suggestions, ML?
@martharap, I have heard that the book, “I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! - How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment” is excellent. https://www.amazon.com/Not-Sick-Dont-Need-Help/dp/0967718929
Other than that, I’m not much help. DS was the first person to realize he wasn’t doing well. He’s always accepted treatment and taken his meds voluntarily. My husband’s sister, on the other hand, won’t accept help even though it’s obvious to the rest of the family that she has bipolar disorder or another mental illness.
I hope the book helps a little. Have his parents reached out to NAMI yet? I remember discussing this problem in the Family-to-Family class I took through them.
Thanks. I’ll mention that book to my brother. My SIL has reached out to NAMI and is in a support group , but not my brother.
@MaineLonghorn, I ordered that book the other day and another that looked related and helpful on Amazon. They just arrived today and I’m hoping they have some miracle recommendation that makes it all go easy and we can be convincing. I also found this online reference that I thought was a good first step for ideas:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/crazy-life/201608/4-steps-help-someone-when-they-dont-want-it
@Bpositive15, thanks for the link! Like the author in the article mentions, the most-asked question I get is how to help someone who doesn’t think he or she is ill. I’m going to print out this article and take it with me when I speak. 
@Bpositive15 I strongly recommend finding your local chapter of NAMI. We have a family member with schizoaffective and it is a wonderful group and really helpful. Best to you.
The term “bipolar” gets used a lot but there are different types. Believe it or not "Bipolar Disorder for Dummies: is one of the best books I have found. Many people with bipolar (and other illnesses) “lack insight.” It can be very frustrating. There is a tendency for people to believe their own perceptions and emotions.
Not to be negative, but there is often no linear path to recovery. Many people will deal with whatever disorder surfaces in late teens and early twenties, for the rest of or much of their lives. This is hard for parents to accept- let alone our kids. Life can still be good for them, and for us, as Maine Longhorn’s son demonstrates. But it takes time and there will always be ups and downs.
To ML’s son and ML-Thank you for sharing your experience. This is a powerful story and will help many people. I admire your strength.
Very beautifully written and expressed. I know that the experiences “behind the scenes” of his journey must have been so painful for you and your DH. He does seem to possess remarkable personal insight, which can only help him.
Thanks for sharing.
This is amazing. The one piece that I didn’t know until I worked in psychiatric medicine is that schizophrenia and other mental illnesses often rear their heads in the late teens/early 20s. Point to ponder as we speak with parents of young adults, especially with a genetic history.
Thank you, MaineLonghorn, and to the very courageous Son of MaineLonghorn. So proud of him for his courage and to his mother and dad who have stood with him and helped him to navigate.
Thanks again for all the kind replies. One neat thing - I posted this on Facebook, and a mother of a 16-year-old girl with schizophrenia sent me a message. She asked if my son would be willing to text her daughter. The girl wanted support, but didn’t want to go to a support group (that’s one of the problems with this disease - you need support but are very uncomfortable in groups). I called my son to ask if he could do that, and he started out, “I don’t think I would be comfortable doing that…” I was all set to say, that’s fine, don’t worry about it, when he continued, “But if she called me, I would be happy to talk to her.” That was a surprise! So the young woman called right away, and they had a nice talk. Made me happy for both of them!
ML: so many things i could say, but let me sum up by saying this is my favorite thread on CC this fall! congratulations to your son and wishing all of you continued health.
We have friends who have had similar challenges. Their son can violent as well. Tonight you have helped more people than you know. I wish you peace.