In July of 2013, my mother died. As most people who have experienced this know, the death of a child or parent is one of the most devastating events that occur in our lives. This blog does not end with her death but begins with her life and how our family was affected by mental illness. When I was between the ages of a toddler and a small child, my mother was in a psychiatric ward circa late 1960s early 1970s. She was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

This blog is about having a parent who had been diagnosed with a serious mental illness. It is also about how ones culture and economic background can affects how the family copes with a loved one who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. Throughout the blog, I will touch upon other mental illness diagnoses but the main focus is Schizophrenia.

Disclaimer: This is NOT a first person account of Schizophrenia and is mainly observational. I am writing from an observational and reflective position because I was too young to interpret and understand its impact on our family until later. Family members who were instrumental in getting our mother help are gone; and also like many families, it is easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than have elderly family members recall painful events from the past.

Also, I am writing from a particular cultural outlook; African American. I do NOT claim that this blog represents all African American experiences but from my own observations and talking to people throughout the years, our family is certainly not alone. There are other cultures that share similar experiences and/or beliefs about mental illness and I cannot speak to how it impacted their daily lives, I invite others to read and share. Nor is this blog a forum for advice but I will definitely have links to the proper agencies to get help.