I just acknowledge them because they are real to my daughter. I will sometimes say I do not see what she sees but I don’t challenge her.
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Their delusions are so strange and is so weird, bizarre how they believe! My son constantly talks about how he’s an alcoholic and has cirrhosis. Then it got worse, now he has cirrhosis of the liver because I drank during he pregnancy. None of this is true! I don’t argue with him, but I do point out that he’s had his liver enzymes checked and he’s fine. I’m sympathetic and compassionate and I just point out the tests and I say, “Please try not to worry.” It’s a difficult one.
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Hello,
Its not easy being in your shoes. (or your son’s)
Tread carefully. Speak softly. lots of eye contact. Hold his hand
If someone had said to me. ((Mom or Dad))
“Do you think i 'd ever let someone harm you? do you believe i’d lay down my life for you to protect you from harm?” and then ask. “DO YOU TRUST ME”?
If he doesn’t TRUST you yet? Then try to talk to him about why he feels the way he does. The KEY is earning his trust. So he will BELIEVE in you when he needs a sounding board. Let him know you love him no matter what. That there is no JUDGEMENT from you on how he feels or his thoughts. That he has a right to thinking the way he does.
BUT
You should let him know that you aren’t fully in agreement with him. Then ask. "Is it okay if i don’t agree with you??? Don’t use the words …DELUSIONS or …“CRAZY”…that could set him off. ANGER or a deep depression.
ask him also. “WHAT DO YOU NEED OT FEEL SAFE”? (but do NOT talk guns or weapons) BAD IDEA!! …but ask him to THINK of a solution. “What do you want” always ask THEM their thoughts.
I’m not a doctor. I just know what might have worked on me. Had someone ASKED me these questions…in the beginning of my illness. It might have made all the difference.
Hope this might give you some food for thoughts on how to deal with your loved one.
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Me too. I normally also have to say not to allude where it came from because it’s often from friends etc that are happy to supply the info but don’t want to be challenged about it.
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His doctor told me it was especially difficult to not mention stuff he knew from me at the appointment after the rock incident. My son never did bring it up in session.
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Thank you for this. I have Dr. Amador’s book. My son is medication compliant. He receives a monthly injection of antipsychiotic. and Depakote for anxiety. But even though he was on his medication, this summer he had a breakdown and had to be involuntarily sent to the hospital (his first relapse since he was diagnosed five years ago). Unfortunately, stressors at home got to be too much for him and stress is HUGE for our loved ones! He was talking about how he was the highest angel and also about goons that came to the door to protect him from “the mother fuckers” who wanted to hurt him 
I was secretly taking video because I wanted this in case I might need it to help me get him in the hospital. It worked. I felt terrible that it had to be me, his father (my ex husband who he lives with had tried and failed a couple days before this) and now he seems to stare at me an awful lot.
So all the advice I’ve gotten here has been wonderful and helpful and I thank you all so much. I was going to put up our whole story but it was too long. So here’s a segment of my son’s story that is important and I’m at a loss for how to handle it. My sons illness has chosen my brother and neice as his perpetrators or stalkers. They both, my brother and neice, live with us. They have no where to go at this time. They are sweet beautiful people. So now they stay in their rooms and try to avoid my son. I’m in between trying to be nice to them and my son. Of course my son is my first priority. But it’s such a bizarre situation. They don’t understand how i don’t just “talk some sense” into him. It’s very hard to deal with this.
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