Schizophrenia: The Perspective of a Father & Brother-in-Law

This illness doesn't come and go with the seasons of the year. Once you acquire it it never leaves you, it has to be controlled usually with meds and counseling. What I'm leading to is we are in the period just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. The brother-in-law I live with just today came out of his room talking loudly and mumbling incoherently as well as breathing heavily making no sense at all which is normal for him.
When you are in your own world nothing else matters. Just let him get out his frustrations and he is fine after that. We have become accustomed to it, it's just best to ignore it. What is so sad about this is at one time he
had a job, was productive, always had money and was so mechanically inclined. Surprisingly he still retains a lot of that knowledge. He is the best I have ever seen at wrapping gifts especially at Christmas. The paper is trimmed perfectly, he uses the right amount of tape, and his hands are as steady as a surgeon's. When he tries other tasks his nerves get the best of him. Christmas is his favorite time of the year and in the past he has been very generous in giving. Being on a fixed income and getting his pension at the first of the month he has to stretch his money, his older brother helps him with that and gets frustrated when he does wasteful spending, he just can't manage his money. His brother has a lot on his plate what with dealing with his younger brother, his family which included an adopted daughter who we think has a mental illness but who has not been diagnosed, she has no desire to use her beauty school diploma to get a full-time job, choosing to say she is retired at age 21. That is sad, for she is really a bright girl. It has to be tough on him, and it trickles down to the other family members. Of course I would be remiss to not include my wife who I suspect has some kind of mental illness but refuses to acknowledge even the possibility, she takes out her rage on me frequently and I don't know how I manage to endure, I must be stronger than I thought. She thinks her problems are my fault, and if anything else goes wrong it's because of me. I might be a lot of things, but I am not a liar, I do not cheat on her or mistreat her, I am a good worker and I care more about others than about myself and am comfortable with that. She might tell you otherwise, she loves to point out my faults. Anyway, time to get off my soapbox. Till next time.-30-