Slowly, her hopes and dreams for his future washed away with her private tears. At the same time, she became increasingly exhausted trying to ensure his safety and well being. The mothers and fathers of people with mental illness around the world often share this same story. Part of their story is the anger and frustration they have felt for the failures of the system - it could have served them better. These are the stories I've heard from families and workers within the system about our failings and challenges.
Mental illness creeps into one's life slowly.
There are subtle behavior changes over years. It generally occurs late in the teen years or early 20's when normal adolescent rebellion and moodiness occur. Most of us aren't aware of the symptoms, don't make the connection to mental illness, and don't seek help. Lack of recognition of the illness and in turn, the failure to take early action is one of the flaws in our response to the disease. Related to that, we aren't adequately organized to go out looking for people with mental illness.