At the young age of 20 years old, Schizophrenia started to creep in to Baylor’s life - slowly taking away little bits and pieces of the dreams he had for his future. He was a kind hearted kid who had hopes of becoming a successful IT professional, until his mental illness began to take a grip on his life.
At first, Baylor had the support of his family to guide him through his challenges, but that support eventually dwindled as Baylor faced one road block after another. Out of desperation and fear, Baylor began to self-medicate with narcotics to help with the symptoms he was experiencing from schizophrenia – which led his family to stop providing support. He was all alone and losing hope fast, and it wasn’t until Baylor came to Presbyterian Night Shelter that he found a light to guide him out of the darkness of his mental illness.
“Baylor was completely lost when he came to the Shelter. He wasn’t taking any medication to help with his illness and he wasn’t utilizing any health services or resources. He was barely coherent and struggled with his behavior, following instructions and often times contemplated suicide,” John said.
Program managers made the critical decision to move Baylor from the men’s center to Safe Haven in order to provide him with the best possible care and resources to help with his mental illness. Baylor was connected to health services through JPS Health Network where he was assigned a doctor to help him personalize his treatment plan.
“After just a few months of consistent medication and counselling services, Baylor has flourished and seems like a completely different person. His family said they haven’t seen him in this good of spirits since he was a teenager. He is now starting to put together his future goals. He wants to begin finding employment soon and eventually work to be in a home of his own. He still has challenges to overcome, but I really see a great future for him.”
