The open cupboard doors?
hi ! sorry for the late response , I’m still new on this site lol . Im not sure if his father has either , i just remembered when i was married to him , he definitely seem to have mental issues , but was never evaluated . looking back i remember he had mania and OCD , he used to sleep very late and wake very late . He verbally and physically abused me but the physical abuse was from an impulse of anger . I heard after i divorced him, at some point he saw a psychiatrist . My son tried to reach out to him and ask if he’s taking any meds but he said no which i dont believe him as he once mentioned that his psychiatrist has the best meds . so go figure ? we don’t talk as he is still verbally abusive and i can’t get answers to know if my sons schiz is biological .
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My brother was just diagnosed with bipolar at age 54. Not that he hasn’t had it for years, he has, just finally got messed up enough self medicating with cocaine to get himself into trouble -which was quickly followed by a diagnosis during a 9 day stay at a mental hospital.
My mom is finally admitting that his bipolar is real, for her that’s a big step forward. She has always been embarrassed by the behaviors of my siblings who self medicate. My sister who is undiagnosed bipolar turned to alcohol for her self med of choice.
Now of course its socially acceptable to be bipolar, an older mom at our FtF class advised all of us whose adult kids had scz to tell people they were bipolar to avoid the scz stigma.
Its difficult to learn family histories when everyone hides brain disorders.
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Our son’s pdoc wrote a letter for me to send to the SS disability office stating that my son needed a payee. There was no push back from the disability office afterwards. We chose to have my brother be the representative payee to eliminate that struggle from my son’s and my relationship.
Our relationship has been strained since he spent two months in state mental institution and came out with a court ordered treatment. This was all in his best interest, but sadly he will never see that.
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Thanks so much sharing this . I’m going to explore . And hopefully in Canada I’ll have similar result.
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I think I was referring to opening windows but keeping the windows covered??? But I can’t find it 
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Yes, someone did say that - I know, like we don’t have enough to keep track of…
My 19 year old son was diagnosed last month. He had been using pot for 9 months and we did not know. He admitted to 3 acid trips after a friend of his tipped us off. Initially, he was diagnosed with bi polar because of a manic episode that had started two days prior to an acid trip. He was hospitalized involuntarily for 5 days, and went for one week as an outpatient. He is on Olanzapine now and home. He does not want to be here. He is taking his medication. Now he has a bipolar nos diagnosis. He has not accepted any of the diagnoses. He is working, having dropped out due to his lack of interest, and I fear, ability. We adopted him at 3 months and do not have an updated medical history. I had such high hopes for him. During the time I was most proud, it seems his drug use began. He admitted starting to smoke when he was 16. We didn’t know about that either. He did have ample education about the dangers of smoking and drugs,but I did not know about the possibility of drug induced psychosis. The smoking started, he explains, because he was feeling depressed. He blames us for the depression. He is still not back to the son I knew. He accumulated over 1000 of credit card debt. He wants to move out again but cannot afford that on a minimum wage job. I don’t even know if he’s capable. He starts therapy next week. It is hard to accept that his condition will likely be permanent.
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So sorry to hear your pain , I fully get what your going through as with my son has Almost the same story … all I was told that it was originally drug induced And They say after 6 months of being clean from drugs if symptoms are still there than my son has schizophrenia in your case bi polar … it’s the hardest and most devastating torcher But Nami and this site does help me in ways … give it 6 months with drug tests than see how he is … my son has no insight of his condition and refuses to believe it … I get the blame for everything… time will heal a little so try and take day by day as every day is such a different day for us …
A good diet and exercise should help but than again we can’t force them to eat right and exercise… very hard … still so fresh … you should definitely try and make Nami classes … if you need to ask me anything than feel free … I’m in this for about 14 months
Thanks for your response! I did not realize that knowing could take 6 months. The first psychiatrist said one month. It will be one month in 5 days or so. He seems more depressed now, and definitely not manic. He seems to have some disordered thinking still, and discussions with him bounce around like a free-association game. I would like him to have more structure, but right now he is making it by working every day and then going to take pictures, hang out with friends, or to the gym. The thing is that I no longer trust him to make good decisions.
I think drug testing at surprise intervals would be really good. I wonder if the treatment center where he will receive one on one therapy will do that.
NAMI Classes? I would like those. Where do I find these? Are they online?
Hi ,
Yes check Nami online Home | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness you can reach them by phone or the schedule should be online too . I promise its amazing and I’m the last person to go to meetings but it really helps . Well I’m not sure if its different for bi polar but my sons psychiatrist said that about schizophrenia . I believe its the same wait though . It seems like your son has structure , most are isolated and do not socialise . Be happy he is working , many are not or should i say can not , many just stay in their rooms . Your son seems to be doing well , work , hobbies , gym , friends … thats amazing ! I know its so hard but just try and make sure he takes his meds and do your best to keep an eye if he’s using drugs , i know its almost impossible but maybe explain to him what will happen to him if he does use . We can do only what we can do and again i know how hard it is .
Hope this helps, here for you ,
Linda
My son has never used drugs, not even alcohol but he still got schizophrenia so …
Knowing what caused it or didn’t cause it doesn’t help.
Staying away from drugs once you’ve got it DOES help
My grandson smoked pot. He says that’s what started his. I haved read if there is any mental illness and you smoke pot it can activate it
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At first we assumed it was synthetic. He says it wasn’t. In reality, he has no idea what it was cut with, if anything. He had started selling, and says he trusted his supplier. We found some strange cigarettes in his room in the student apartment. But these said hemp on the label,and looked store bought. Complicating matters is the LSD hit he took after the night, already two says into a manic episode, he came home for supper and seemed off the rails.
I had been told in a NAMI Family-to-Family class that SZ is likely caused most often by a combination of genetic pre-disposition and environmental factors. We know of some family history of SMI. And then there is the time I fell with him as an infant and he had a depressed fracture of the skull (MRI done showed no problem), then later all the sports hits to the head. It makes me wonder. But no drugs!
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No history of schizophrenia on my side. We do have anxiety. He was doing Heroin, meth and pot. He states it all started with pot but he also said he never felt normal his whole life. Only he knows the truth and only he can help himself
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Absolutely. I truly believe that’s what triggered my son’s schz. The doctors have told us that is issue is .marijuana induced. I personally see the changes compared to when he smokes and when he does not.
I was told even if he didn’t smoke pot he would have got schizophrenia from another kind of stress … I don’t believe any body really knows …
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Indeed it’s all mind boggling.