I think Marie, but this is only my experience with Cathy and my opinion, he seems to suffer from paranoia and delusions. Keep track of that and those symptoms. Cathy too bagan having sleep deprivation as the schizoaffective disorder began to unravel itself. Before that it was sporadic. Right now as I’m sitting here typing this she is punching the sofa saying they are behind her and that her life is in danger. All this began with “They have cameras on me, I can hear them talking to me”. I don’t know how this might help. But this is what is going on now with us. She’s yet to find relief from medication (Antipsychotics). She’s been on 5, on her 6th now, it’s been a year and a half. I’m here if you need to talk, as is everyone else on here. They are so supportive and have provided so much insight and hope for her future.
Thank you -Tina
Sorry I don’t know what to tell you. I have a schizophrenic friend who is always into conspiracy theories also. He would read up on all these occult things and be quite religious. Unfortunately, a lot of schizophrenics believe in conspiracy theories and/or be extremely religious because of their delusions. I honestly do not think your son has bipolar if he is having delusions with whether you are his real parents. It does sound much more like schizophrenia. And the believe in 5g towers spreading radiation is a common conspiracy nowadays.
Nothing helped me more than medications. Why isn’t he prescribed any when he went to the hospital?
Does your daughter actually see people behind her? Does she realize that despite her saying she is in danger, nothing has happened to her for the past year and half? Your daughter is paranoid and I have those kind of delusions too. I feel everyone is looking at me and talking behind my back. When I first got diagnosed, I would hear people want to fight me in the street. I managed to ignore those delusions. Your daughter would benefit immensely with cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis.
Hi Lirik,
We have told endlessly that they are not real, she cannot see them, only hear them. They cannot touch her. We have told told her that though she believes they are going to hurt her, they haven’t ever in the last year and half. We tell her constantly. We tell her ignore, ignore, ignore, easier said then done I’m sure for her. We have her swim, paint, puzzle, while listening to her favorite music. I will discuss the therapy w her Dr.
Thank you again, always for your support. Just fyi, I do read her everything you send and tell her it will get better as you have shown.
Thank You Rebecca. Your support and everyone’s guidance is a breath of fresh air.
@Marie06 Hi. I have a 23 yr old son who had similar ideologies when he was in psychosis. Does he live close by to you? I hope you have been able to get him into seeing a good doctor so he can get the help he needs. How is he doing now ?
Well done and congratulations on your successes
No Thank you Three for your reply 
I struggle with feeling guilty that I didn’t do the right things to try to get my spouse on meds before leaving with our child. I feel so guilty that I couldn’t get him to take meds just by me asking. This illness has stolen my loving husband and destroyed our family. I feel guilty that I couldn’t fix this problem.
You can’t fix what you don’t know. And our rational suggestions are often not received by an irrational mind. (I sometimes think that WE are the crazy ones to think that someone who is irrational will respond to our rational suggestions!!) Once we realize that and seek help to learn how to deal with these things, there IS hope for a better future. That is what I found at NAMI Family Support Groups and in their Family to Family class. Transformational.
A person with serous mental illness who also has “anosognosia” (a part of the illness itself where the person is unable to see himself as he really is) will unlikely “get it”. The statistics I am aware of are that 50% of persons with SZ and 40% of persons with BP have this. My son had it. But now he is med-compliant. How? It was a fairly complicated and tumultuous journey but it started with our family realizing this and then reading the book “I’m Not Sick; I Don’t Need Help” by Dr. Xavier Amador. I am convinced that by and large, families who use the LEAP methodology (in the book, and also see the LEAP Institute https://lfrp.org/about-leap), will see positive results if they will do the hard work to use this and keep trying.