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I have been dealing with a sibling who has had schizophrenia for years. His

constant struggle to work, earn and simultaneously deal with this serious
illness has always made me think about why India doesn‘t wake up to the need
to offer better mental health awareness and treatment!
-Shahzeb

M y friend got married almost four years ago and till date, they are fighting

to lead a normal life because her husband is suffering from schizophrenia and
his parents never disclosed his problem. They just got him married thinking

that his health would improve after the wedding and their motive was to find a
professional girl who would take care of him and also earn money to run the
house. She discovered his problem within six months of the wedding and now

he is surviving completely on the psychiatrist‘s help.

Nothing has improved for my friend. They have not been able to plan a family
due to his health problems and also due to job insecurity. She thought of
divorce many times but was unable to take this step as her elder sister is also a

divorcee.

My friend feels guilty about thinking of leaving an ill person but I know she is

leading a difficult life. The most frustrating part is that the boy‘s parents are
sitting quietly, simply saying that they were unaware of this problem.
-Namdeo

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