Uncle Charlie

by photographer Mark Asnin
2000 FiftyCrows PhotoFund Winner

In 1980, my uncle Charlie was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. His doctor described him as “withdrawn, subject to delusional ideas, persecutory thoughts, …depressed.” One of the 2.2 million Americans suffering from this neurological brain disorder, he and his family are plagued with mental demons, drugs and poverty. Yet he has never been treated for his underlying psychological condition and has been unable to hold a job since March 10, 1976. Carol, Charlie’s wife, left him and their five kids in 1986. From then on, Charlie was left with the huge task of bringing them up alone. He stayed, and did what he could.

In my images, we see Charlie and his kids struggling to remain a family. We see foster care, abandonment, hospitalization, departure, and reunion. We see how Charlie deals with his burdens, and how he passes them onto his kids. Charlie doesn’t give them the love they need, doesn’t hug or nurture them. Some children stay in contact while others split. Everybody suffers from Charlie’s schizophrenia.

Crack has been the most devastating problem for Charlie and his family. Charlie is surrounded by crackheads because of his own mental problems- he is attracted to drug addicts. For many years Charlie spent his family’s Social Security disability checks on drugs for his girlfriends. In 1995, $8.2 billion was spent on the federal drug war, yet resources for treatment and prevention are very limited.

The words I’ve collected from various family members are crucial to the project. They say what the pictures alone cannot say. They express different perspectives of the images.

Throughout history, family—with all its accomplishments and failings—has been studied as a microcosm of society. Each family is unique in its own way, but what happens to one family can also happen to others. Looking at the journey of one family can guide all of us in charting our own future course and educating others.