“As caregivers, we earn our PHD in serious mental illnesses within the first five years, alongside a master’s in social work. We become versed in SMI pharmaceuticals, medication management, and evaluating SMI symptoms. We become experts in LEAP, CBT, and DBT. Navigating SSD, SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare becomes second nature. Once you realize the system is anything but systematic, you become an advocate for change, utilizing the brief window of time before bedtime, all while knowing you have a full-time job the next morning. To say we face headwinds is an understatement; we’re dealing with category 6 hurricanes.“ April, from the book Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: A Handbook for Caregivers by Nicole Drapeau Gillen