Schizophrenia strikes in the late teens and early 20s. Imagine you're turning 19 and all your dreams of going to college, getting a job, dating, and hanging out with friends suddenly vanish. Worst of all - you have no idea why!  Suddenly you are hospitalized. You are sent to jail. You become homeless or you are put in a locked facility… if there is a bed available.  You have no access to your cell phone. You can’t see your family.  You can only walk indoors over cement patios. You are put on a room with people that have nothing in common with you. To achieve “discharge level” you are expected to attend lots of groups, but you can’t get out of bed because your body feels heavy and tired. The only treatment you are offered is pharmaceuticals. 
This is what happens to young people hit by this devastating brain illness called schizophrenia.  A brain illness that the system mislabels as behavior disorder and fails to provide the care, respect and protection needed by the most vulnerable individuals. Schizophrenia is the most neglected of all mental illnesses.  Thousands of families agonize daily battling with the system to provide their loved ones with treatment and a roof so they don’t become homeless, incarcerated, or even succumb to death.