I have a cousin who has been diagnosed with several mental illnesses. He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder and bipolar. The most
recent diagnosis is paranoid schizophrenia.
He has been declared mentally
disabled and is receiving social security since he is unable to work. What the family did not know until recently is
that my cousin had been diagnosed mentally disabled during his teenage years so
he may have other mental illnesses that I am not aware of. My cousin has spent most of his life in prison
as a result of the three strike rule. He
was sentenced to life in prison and always claimed he was innocent which
resulted in a review of his case and his release. By the time he was released the damaged from
years in prison had been done. Before
interacting with my cousin, I researched the different types of schizophrenia
so I had a better understanding of his behaviors, possible actions and
reactions. To be honest what I learned
scared me and had me walking on eggshells around him. I was always polite and stayed away from
controversial topics that I thought might anger him. Apparently I was not the only person who felt
that way because my mom said the same thing.
We both know my aunt won’t tell my cousin “no” because she’s afraid of
making him angry. I don’t know what
medications my cousin is taking or if he’s even taking his medications but I
hope he is because he is a danger to society if he doesn’t. My cousin is like a walking time-bomb and you
never know what will make him explode.
