ANNA

Anna is 54 years old and the mother of Richard who is 34 and was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 22. Anna's story revolves around the topic of guilt with, on the one hand, her son blaming his parents and siblings of being responsible for his disease, on the other hand, having doubts herself whether she might have overlooked early signs of the approaching calamity. 

Patrizia who is now 54 years old, reflects on the ups and downs of her difficult relationship with her sick mother over all of their lives - starting from early childhood, when Patrizia had to take on parts of the parent role until the death of her mother at the age of 74. 

 Walter is the 47-year-old father of Andreas who in retrospect exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia during puberty, which were not recognised as such. The story is about repeated early violent incidents within the family and a delayed diagnosis of schizophrenia in a forensic unit, which finally led to successful treatment and rehabilitation.  

 Eva is the 62-year-old mother of Michael, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia 10 years ago at the age of 21. Michael lives in a separate flat. Eva describes how being included in Michael's paranoid thoughts during acute episodes made her completely powerless. While Michael is currently doing better, Eva vividly describes how she is tormented all the time by fear of a relapse.  

 Ritha is the 59-year-old mother of Rudolf, who is now 34 years old and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, when he was 19. She reports how her son's violent behaviour in public sent the family into turmoil and resulted in his institutionalisation in a forensic psychiatric unit for several years, with Rudolf being now discharged but living under severe restrictions.