Adam's 26th birthday

November 24th was Adam's 26th birthday. My family is still grieving our loss and it was a hard day. Instead of celebrating with Adam, we were all missing him, and not surprisingly, thinking at least some, about the "what ifs" in life.

What if we had known more about mental illness and schizophrenia? Would we have known sooner to get him help?
What if  we had taken more time away from our jobs to help find the right resources for him? Would we have been able to find the right place to get him on the road to recovery?
What if  we had insisted sooner that he also get treatment for addiction? Would that have helped his mind stay whole?

I think about questions like this at times, but then I think, why is it so hard for families to get their loved ones help? What's wrong with our society that we don't help those that so badly need it? And then I think, if my family couldn't find a solution that worked for Adam, how much harder is it for those that don't have family to help them?

One of the projects that I am working on is finding housing for people with mental illness. Everyone needs a safe place to live. I don't know how anyone can be expected to deal with doctors and medications and therapy or anything else, if you don't have a permanent place to live.

I'd love to hear from others that also want to find better solutions. What are you working on? Let's talk about how and what we can do!