Thank you for a heartfelt letter.  My son was diagnosed at age 14 after not sleeping

for 3 days, he became delusional.  I had worked as an RN in a mental health ward

with adolescents when I became pregnant with him.  I was a new graduate nurse

at the time.  Nothing prepared me for watching his mental melt down, and the trials

with the health care system that followed.  Even the fact that the unit I initally got

him into had fellow nurses I had acqaintance with previously.  After 4 yrs. of hospitalizations I was finally told about medicare options.  This was after paying

for hospitalizations once or twice a year.  He sees his Psychiatrist and psycologist

monthly, but the struggle never ends for him.  We were so happy for him recently

getting a car, making some friends in town, working on his GED.  He will be 20 in

November.  My husband isn't very supportive or understanding.  He feels I make

excuses.  He hasn't bothered to educate himself on the diagnosis, and when offered

to examine websites, doesn't look.  My husbands brother committed suicide after

graduating from Harvard with a BA in psychology.   My husband himself spent a

year as an adolescent on a psychiatric ward.  His father was diagnosed with Bi-polar,

and had only 2 hospitalizations.  I don't know if he is just so angry, or in denial,

but it is tearing us apart.   My husband is very egocentric, and isolates himself,

coping by playing his music or hanging with his friends.  Thanks for listening

anyway.