My husband has had schizophrenia for 4 years and we have been married for 19. During the last four years, he has had three episodes, the last of which was in June. Usually, there have been a couple of days during onset where my husband has enough insight to want to take medication. In June, we tried really hard to access Haldol, which is the drug that always brings him out of it in hospital, but it was the weekend, and by the time we got seen, it was too late.
I was pregnant then, and when my husband came out of hospital, he decided to make a legal document that would state his symptoms and his wishes for treatment, should he fall into psychosis again. The document wasn’t legalised because he started displaying symptoms (as outlined by him, when he was well) again before it could be. This was two weeks ago. Symptoms this time are mild, probably because he upped his other meds at the first sign. So now he believes that he has a spiritual affliction, is talking all the time about God and his connection with God, is mistrustful, cold and distant with me, and has had one or two episodes of a few hours with more extreme psychotic symptoms, but these have gone away.
I am still pregnant, and I have fought really hard to persuade him to take Haldol, which is what he wanted to happen while he was well. But he says he is fine, doesn’t need it, and, honestly, this time IS a bit different - he hasn’t fallen into full-blown psychosis the way he has done in the past. I’ve been pushing for Haldol, assuming that the same thing would happen again, i.e. that these were early symptoms to a full-blown psychosis, but it’s so hard. My husband is saying it’s “evil” to have to take Haldol, that it’s my fault etc. So even though he has now agreed to take it, he is reluctant, telling me that he is compos mentis and so it is evil. Admittedly, I did say that I wasn’t prepared to be with him if he continued in this new state indefinitely (as he now no longer wants a legal document and disagrees with what he wrote on it), but I was telling the truth. I’m pregnant, and I don’t want to be with him in this state. I want my old husband back, not the husband with these new beliefs and priorities.
Now I feel awful. Am I telling him to take drugs when he doesn’t need them? Is he right?