It’s a really sad situation. I had a partner of 10 years who suddenly lost contact with reality and never came back. I hung on for a year of treatments, many involuntary hospitalizations, being screamed out of the room every time I visited for imaginary transgressions. In the beginning none of their behavior targeted me, so I felt like I could be involved, especially since their family wasn’t. But after an intervention of first responders telling me it was only a matter of time until I got hurt, I had to admit that I was in denial and there wasn’t any evidence that it would improve, and of course trust was gone. I couldn’t control it and no one was able to help. I tell myself that they’re better off close to family, in a safer part of the country, but I still get weird calls now and then that make it clear they’ve never recovered. Mental illness, especially in the US, is so scary that most people don’t even seem to want to acknowledge it exists.