My husband is 44 we live in Arkansas and for the last almost 8 months or longer he has been hearing voices. When he first started out he would say my cousin and aunt (we all live in the same household) were always listening to our conversations or talking crap about us. He had me believing this for months because it’s not to far fetched for me to believe they would do weird things like this. Throughout the months it just building up getting worse and worse were I finally figured out that maybe I should look into this a little father…so I know I should of maybe caught it sooner but I work 40 to 60 hours a week never home during the day where I could see a lot of what was or was not happening. Anyway it’s gotten so bad he is convinced the guy at the end of the road that actually moved two weeks ago so no longer is even in the same state anymore, that is my cousin’s friend is standing at our window or our door calling him a punk calling him outside and talking crap to him. Literally 8 inches of snow he says this guy is out there. That he can’t play his Xbox because somehow they are turning it off. He has 3 locks on our bedroom room and all door gaps covered in poster board and a curtain but still insists that they can see in our room and make comments about everything he does. First he thought is was my one legged uncle that lives in Oregon until I ask him how he was getting away the the door, window or around the house quick enough that he can never find him on one leg? So after switching back and forth a few times he has decided it’s my cousin’s friend. I told him my mom had a camera that can see both of our yards (we live in the woods across the road from one another) how did we never see him on camera? He had an answer for that …he stays in the house…ok well how come I don’t hear it…answer because he says I have hearing loss in only left ear and he says it only where he can hear it… although I know I can hear better than he is giving me credit for, I go along with it …ok why when I go check the living room the bedroom etc I can’t find him…he says he runs outside…I tell him then why is the camera not picking him up but everything else? His answer is nevermind my family is hiding him and I must be in on it because I’m calling him a liar. I turned his sons against him according to him making them believe me over him and I told him that they only believe me because his stories got so crazy far fetched and happening to much for even the sickest most twisted stocker to take that much time to spy on his next victim because for a little while he had them convinced they needed to come pick him up every day while I’m at work because my family had it out to somehow hurt or kill him.This has escalated to the point my cousin and mom call me at work because he yelling down the hallway at no one or chasing no one around outside the house holding a knife which my husband denied. I’m not letting our 7 year old even come home she stays across the road with my parents because I don’t want him to scare her or for her to see him acting in this manic way. This is the one thing that made him say and agree to get help if I can just figure out with direction to start in, although he thinks he is going to prove to me this is really happening and he won’t accept my apology when he does. He is unemployed and uninsured and due to warrants for old child support I’m not sure what to do. Thinking it would get better or go away on its own before I started reading up on this mental situation, I’ve just been trying to wait it out. But it’s getting worse! It’s all he thinks about, I can tell he ain’t really paying attention to the movie or he does movements to “scare him away from our door” but he literally thinks this guy is messing with him 95% of the day. Like a human could possibly have that much time and energy to do nothing but call a total stranger a punk all day. Mind you this guy has a wife and 4 kids under 5 so how does he have time to be away from his family even on Christmas Thanksgiving and now yesterday on Valentine’s Day to do nothing but taunt my husband? And why does he think he is that important to a total stranger were he wants to destroy his family by making him look crazy? There is no pay out no money to gain nothing my husband has to make this guy gain anything from my husbands fallout. I ask my husband all of this and he has no logical answer and anything I say that is logical sends him in to a rage which in turns scares everyone. I keep apologizing to my aunt and cousin, unlike me they didn’t choose him to have to deal with it, they just love me and him and thankfully are trying to be patient. Two days ago my husband and cousin almost got into a fist fight over the constant outburst of telling whoever in ten curse words to leave him alone down the hallway and woke my cousin up and he had just had enough at that point and it almost got bad. O yea now it must be my boyfriend we are hiding because I don’t believe it’s going on!! I tell my husband that I absolutely believes he is hearing it but it is not happening but I promise I will get him help and have his back through this. That my family and I know it’s not something he did or can help and I’m aware it’s very real to him. I pled with him just consider what Im telling him is true and please just stop screaming down the hall and everything he is doing (most of it while I’m at work because if I’m home I shut it down quickly or it causes arguments because I tell him its not real, so he hides some it from me now) because I don’t want to have to move. They would never and can’t ask that I move but they won’t move either but I feel like it’s not fair to them to move because MY husband is sick but I’m definitely not moving because my 7 year old and 23 year old daughters are safely tucked away across the street with my mom not having to witness the mayhem. So for all of you that is still reading this, words can’t express my gratitude, I hope it makes sense and sorry it got do long if you made it this far you must be a special kind of angel. Thank you from every bit of my heart and soul for listening to me vent although you reading my vent lol. I just don’t tell a lot of people what I’m going through I don’t want to embarrass him or people to judge him or start messing with him just being inconsiderate making it worse…and yes I know people that may do that thinking it’s funny. So i keep it with my family unit. Our kids my parents his kids and his ex wife has been my rock through this as weird as that sounds. She talks to their sons about what’s happening and not happening mainly …and made sure they stop drinking with him because that made it worse and then my safety was triple at risk because hard liquor turns him violent. She has been such a great friend to me about her ex husband i joke and say we need to remarry her lol. The only negative thing I have to say about my blessing in disguise is she won’t take him back!!! I promise I’m only kidding but some of the greatest friends cheerleaders or people that have your back stem from some of the most unlikely relationships.
In conclusion big hearted long readers does anyone know what my next step is? How do I get him help without get him locked in jail due to warrants like I said unemployed and uninsured? Why did this start happening at 44 I thought schizophrenia started in 20s 30s or a life long problem, why now? Is he a danger to myself my daughter our family, or himself? Thank you again, im signing off now…from feeling hopeless unknowing and can’t help who I love to feeling a bit lighter and a little hopeful I took my first step in finally getting help!