My dad has paranoid SZ. He is 65yrs. Had a stroke in October. He attempted suicide in December. Pack a day smoker and history of alcohol and drug abuse.
I remember his pain being so real and so raw. But can he even feel it any more with Thorazine and fluoxetine? Can he feel anything anymore? Now he just stares into the abyss, occassionally mumbling and looking from side to side.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wished I could get a glimpse of what he sees/hears. To understand why they take his attention away from the things here in our world. Why are those voices louder than mine?
My dad is lost. -and I am lost trying to find him again. What if there is no white rabbit, and the looking glass is just a facade? Should we continue the search just for an adventure after all?
In other words, coping with a declining parent with SZ is amazingly difficult.
@hpirozzoli I am sorry you are going through this. I imagine it’s a bit like having a parent declining from dementia/Alzheimers. My mom had that for the last 10 years of her life. She lived a long time, however (88). Many family members and friends thought it was awful to have to lose her that way. For me, she was still the same mom inside. I could still talk to her by saying short sentences and let her complete the sentence. Sometimes just a nursery rhyme like Hickory Dickory Dock - the mouse ran up the _______. She’d turn to me and with some hesitation say - - clock. I was like - exactly mom! I could also look through magazines with her. It wasn’t deep communication but it was something. Maybe you can find some small connection that is easy for him. He may even like (and I have no idea really) a stuffed animal. My son found his the other day and put them on a chair - never touched them after that.