Its been a while since I have posted anything. My sz son is still in a “group home”. No real supervision, but he feels safe there and he likes the location. He has been on the injectable for his mental illness and boy oh boy has that been great! He still hears voices, they just aren’t as bad as they have been before the injection. He still doesn’t really care for himself, but he is eating and occasionally bathing. He has made it a full month without being baker acted or abusing alcohol, so that is a big plus. I hope this continues in a positive way. He does want to move out of the group home and that scares me as this has been the connection for him to get his meds and shot. The psychiatrist goes to the home every few weeks. So I worry that this will end and we will be in another nightmare. But for now, things are fine!!! Time to breathe.
This is such great news! I am so happy for your family and your son. Thanks so much for the update!
I’m glad you got a respite from your son’s crisis’s. I don’t know your son’s background; does your son listen to you and respect your opinions? Can you appeal to any sense of logic he has and tell him how good the group home is for him so he’ll stay there?
I was in a group home with 14 other residents from 1990-95. It was great for me in more ways than one as it may be for your son and you could point it out to him. For one thing if he has problems being social and isolates on his own a group home is a good place to be social and maybe even make a friend because in one sense everybody there is in the same boat and there’s common ground.
And if you want your son to stay there stress how great it is that there’s people there who will shop and cook for him (I’m assuming) and maybe even do the cleaning. And point out that you have a lot less responsibilities living in a group home then if you were living in his own apartment. Maybe point out it’s a lot easier living in a group home than being out on your own.
Tell him he’ll be out on his own soon enough, but for now there’s no rush and for now it’s a good place for him. Point out the good things about living in a group home; it’s better than living in a shelter or out on the streets. You could make a good case for staying there and maybe he will listen and it will buy him more time to become stable. Maybe even bargain with him and tell him you’ll support him moving out in 3 or 4 or 5 months but for now it’s doing him a lot of good. If you could just get him to be objective about the whole situation and see how much good the group home is doing him.
Maybe getting him to think logically and objectively is wishful thinking but it’s worth a try.
I thrived in the group home. I was only unemployed for a month the entire 5 years I was there and went to college two days a week for most of the five years. I made a friend there and we went to 5 or 6 AA meetings a week and did fun things on weekends. I would have stayed there longer but my sister offered me a room in her house to rent so I moved out and ended up living there three years with her and my nephew.
It helped me a lot that I had little responsibility while I was at the group home and your son is probably in the same situation. I hope everything works out for you and your son and I would hope that your son would not be triggered if you use any of my suggestions or advice.
I’m so happy that you get to report this news !
For you and him and all involved he feels safe !
I hope he can stay and continue to grow there.
And you your family and your son can have a time of peace .
I like Nicks suggestions of having a conversation of all the positives of being there. Whether he accepts it or not is always the question
Thank you for your reply. We (his father and I) do try to point out all the of the positives for my son’s living situation. While he will agree with us one minute, the next minute he talks about leaving the group home. He does not have many responsibilities in this home, its more of renting a bed in house with other people. I do believe the only reason he gets the shot to help with the sz is because of this home and the Dr who stops by every month to give it. If my son moves out, that service will be gone and all heck will start again. So, for now, I will continue to look at the good parts. Thanks again for your reply.
Hi Tippy, I’m glad of your son’s improvement, it is very challenging for everyone to deal with the hallucinations and delusions especially for him/her, the ones that experience the symptoms. Since he’s at the group home would it be possible for you to talk to their caregivers to have him on Clozapine? As far as I know it should be the prescription choice after a couple of antipsychotics don’t work, the draw bloods can be the objection by him, your son, but this is his chance and yours to see him even better. Clozapine is underutilize and the Angry Moms worked really hard to get rid of the REMS, they’re not totally gone but it has done a lot of difference for so many. There’s so much information about clozapine out there. The CURESZ FOUNDATION is one, but NAMI of Nassau offer resources and info with the opportunity to talk to the experienced doctors at the time of their presentations. When your loved is in no condition to talk for himself you can advocate for him. Take care.
Well, things have changed. My SZ son has been thrown out of the group home. He has to go to detox, cuz he was using something. We all know this other stuff shouldn’t be mixed with sz meds. He found another place to live that won’t let him in until the 3rd. It’s a room without windows. He does not have an area to sit outside. Its closed in porch really. I am so frustrated cuz’ he will be thrown out of there in no time at all and then what to do with him? He will be off of his meds, cuz he won’t have the benefit of the Dr coming to him anymore. I feel bad about the people that he is renting from. Just a young couple trying to make ends meet. They have no idea of the mental illness, so my son will probably have the police phoned shortly after moving in. Then what do I do with him?
Sorry you’re going through this, @Tippy. Is it possible to bring your son to the doctor for his injections?
Yes, his dad or I will be able to take him to the Dr if we can find one. The good ones are in short supply
Great news! Glad he is safe for now and you can take a deep breath and relax for a bit. Is it ok in this forum to ask what injectable he is on?