Okay here we go. I am new and desperate. I used think the voices were just whispers. They have manifested into auditory voices from him. They have different tones, and habits. They have names and different ages. It took us almost a year to get him to comply with his Meds. Three suicide attempts, and disappearing for days on end. I am getting ready to quit my job, so that I can take care of him full time. He is only 20.
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Hi @parker.626. Welcome. You are at the right place - sorry for the reason you are here. Do you need to stay home with him to make sure he doesn’t harm himself?
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parker626, do I understand correctly, your son is now using different voices himself?
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Try your best to maintain your life - this illness has such a huge impact on so many more people than just the person who has the illness.
I’m glad I keep working - that keeps some amount of sanity in my life.
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@Vallpen I agree, at least for me working keeps me sane, plus I can’t afford not to. But my son is paranoid of dying.
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Hi Parker.626, I also work part time and it helps me to keep from not thinking about my son every waking minute. I am fortunate that at this time of my life I can work part time, if I have too many hours it becomes overwhelming.
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I am so sorry. The initial phase of this illness is so hard and it doesn’t get easier I am afraid. Try not to have a knee jerk reaction. If you have vacation time, try taking some time off instead of leaving your job. This illness is expensive and believe it or not a job offers a relief from the grind. I work full time as a paralegal and made my bosses aware early on. They have worked to accommodate me once they understood what was going on.
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Also, what you are describing sounds like multiple personality disorder not SCZ. Does he have any other symptoms involving other senses like taste, touch, smell, or sight? Does his personality change to reflect the voices? Does his voice and facial expression change?
There is some very subtle differences between SCZ and MPD but they are very important for proper treatment. While we can’t diagnose, we can help to point you in the right direction if you share more information about his symptoms. I realize your post was brief so there may be more.
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Charity, my son has a different voice also and sometimes refers to himself in third person but he has only ever been diagnosed as Sz.
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I realize the voices can all be different. Libby hears all kinds of voices - angry ones, happy ones, whispered ones, screaming ones, commanding ones. But she only hears them. Usually people with multiple personalities will act and behave very differently if it’s MPD, as if their body has been taken over by the personality. That’s what I am wondering about. If the person takes on an alternate persona to match the voice it’s not SCZ usually. And so I am just wondering if there’s other symptoms than just what was posted. SCZ and MPD are frequently misdiagnosed for one another. Something about the way the symptoms were described made me curious. If it’s a misdiagnosis, the meds may not be controlling symptoms enough to cause compliance. Less symptoms due to proper medication will sometimes give better insight and control. My daughter was extremely uncompliant with meds when treated for depression. Once we started Risperdal she became 100% compliant because the meds helped her symptoms.
Again only a doctor can diagnose but I guide people through medical care all day for my job and help them to know how to talk with doctors. I also lived with someone with MPD. She was extremely suicidal, more than an SCZ person might already be. What was described by OP reminded me of her. MPD also has a better outcome and outlook with cognitive behavioral therapy to help resolve the personality conflicts. Has that been ruled out already?
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@Author_Charity_Marie - I am wondering what you do for work - what is the position called? I’m looking for a change in careers in a 3 or so years. I have a degree in sociology.
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I work as a case manager for a personal injury law firm.
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@Author_Charity_Marie - Oh I see - medical care. Not just MI issues.
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@DianeR Right but about 25% of my clients have PTSD and other serious mental health issues. I have had clients with bipolar disorder as well. When someone with existing mental illness gets in a car accident it can lead to a lot of mental health unraveling so I work to keep them on track and moving forward with recovering. Our firm is one of the only ones I know of that puts the emphasis on treatment the way our firm does.
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@Author_Charity_Marie That’s really interesting. I am sure that is challenging. I bet that helped get your daughter he place of residency. How is she doing? Do they give you daily updates? I am hopeful being that she is so young, that she will get the help she needs.
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She’s doing okay. I call and get updates every day. I had a family therapy session yesterday that was really good. The therapist seemed to really get the issues she’s facing and they’re going to try and get her some psychosocial testing while she’s there. If her cognitive deficits are high enough, that may help with future care and needs. They did warn me that the insurance company may refuse treatment long term for her so I’m gearing up for a battle on that and trying to get Medicaid as secondary insurance to allow her time to actually treat. The hospital is going to recommend up to eight months treatment for her.
While she is safe and being taken care of, having her gone has it’s own issues and stresses. My heart is pretty broken almost daily - giving my child over to others is really hard to do even if I know it’s for her best interest.
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Charity, with what you’ve told us, you are getting answers and they will be able to see what is going on in order to make a proper diagnosis. Hang in there and big hugs. You are doing wonderful job!
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