Thanks for this thread and spreading hope in what can be a desolate illness. I was first psychotic at 19 years of age then diagnosed with schizophrenia in my early twenties. My first psychosis was impossible to comprehend as I became so separated from reality. I don't think I really understood that for years, until subsequent psychoses and recovery. Living through psychoses is the scariest experience of my life, in a horrific way. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It breaks you apart and leaves you picking up what pieces are left. I've had varying experiences from identity crises to existential crises mixed up in my illness. The devastating impact it's had on my life has brought me to also suffer depression,  usually post-psychotic depression. I'm now living with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder with melancholic depression.

Despite this dreary sounding story, I've always found my way through.

The stigma of this illness is slowly improving. People are more open to talk about their mental health now and that's so great. 

I've had several times with little or no hope but somehow I've always made my way back to wellness. Recovery is a constant process as the illness can trick me into feeling better and going off medication, only to fall ill again. I, like @Rosie , now realise I will be on medication for the rest of my life. I also have stopped drinking alcohol and I don't miss it. Other than those factors, my recovery has been helped by my family support which I am lucky and grateful for. I have few friends but cherish the ones I do.

In amongst the decades of illness, I have married, had two children and studied to graduate with a degree  a masters and a graduate certificate. I did stay off medication for my pregnancies and breastfeeding, so it is possible. There is a lot more hope for people who live with a diagnosis of schizophrenia these days as the medication and therapies are improving.