Well said. Schizophrenia is a horrible and devastating disease to both the sufferer and their families and I do believe that it is a disease.
When someone is diagnosed with cancer, we feel sympathy for them and their families. But when someone has a legitimate medical mental illness like schizophrenia, we too often blame the sufferer or their families. Families are often caught in a very bad situation; they want to help, even if that means involuntary commitment and forced medications but current laws prevent such. Until a schizophrenic actually presents a very real and present danger to themselves or other or commits a heinous crime, sadly, very little can be done unless they voluntarily agree to treatment – and for someone in a paranoid state, the very last thing they will agree to is treatment, confinement or medication.
I’m glad that your friend is leading a somewhat normal life.
Do we know the shooter indeed was schizophrenic?