What level of responsibility can I logically expect from my partner? Is he/she capable of household chores or contributing to income?
Everyone’s case is individual; the level of functionality and independence that your partner can eventually achieve will depend on a number of factors, including the severity of the illness, the age of onset (earlier onset usually means a more severe prognosis), how well the symptoms are controlled through medication, and whether your partner is cooperative and receptive to treatment and therapy. It’s important to recognize that learning to live and cope with schizophrenia takes as much time and effort as rehabilitating from any other chronic illness such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, or diabetes. However, as time goes on and you both become more familiar with the course of the disease, you will need to make your own choices regarding what your limits are as a caregiver and a partner, and what responsibilities your partner needs to take for themselves and their behavior. Dr. E Fuller Torrey (author of Surviving Schizophrenia) indicates that although the spectrum varies widely, most pa
