Your story could be mine. Great kid and teenager - full of promise & potential. Began to socially isolate. Flunked out of university. At age 23, he started to go downhill and things just accelerated until his first psychotic break a week ago Monday at age 24. I live in the US where we don’t have a ‘Mental Health Act’. I can hardly get any information about him because he refuses to sign a release of information document and tragically with our current political climate, funds will likely be taken away from mental health programs so I just hope my son can get some help now while programs are still in place.
JooJoo which state do you live in? I have been taking care of my father and we live in Texas it’s really hard but you can get help. He can get assistance. If you feel he is a danger to himself which is how I finally got help for my dad was through the Sheriff and then transport to the psych Ward at the local hospital. It wasn’t easy and I don’t think is easy for any of us in any state or country. Daddy finally got placed on a monthly injection and now is on a 3 month injection! Even better for us! My dad is getting close to 70 and has been so much happier with new meds and a new apartment. He still has episodes and claims the medicine makes him crippled (no his 30 year old stainless steel hip that needs to be replaced does that) I hope you can get the help needed for your son. I think our country has taken mental illness more serious than ever which is why our state Hospitals are over crowded. Hope I can help if you need any
It wasn’t easy. His first ‘break’ was while he was at university and it passed but we didn’t realize what it was. Our relationship deteriorated right down to him being violent, me chucking him out, almost no communication and him being very bitter and blaming me for everything. There were some terrible years. Things have improved a lot over the last four years, though that does include his hospital stay. He may or may not fully retrieve an active place in the labour force, we don’t know yet. But he’s calmer and happier and making every effort to improve himself for his own sake now. A while back he said he wanted to come off his meds again. I said I would support him to try, but I advised him to do it intelligently. So he came off the depot injections and started on tablets so he could taper off, but within a couple of months he went back on the depot of his own accord. He decided it was easier and in fact his concentration is better (he’s on aripiprazole - Abilify). I am very happy too these days. Of course, the current government is cutting back a lot on health services and support for people with disabilities so everything could be bad and getting worse after the June 8 election. I’m out canvassing for the Labour Party these days! The day after Corbyn became leader of the party, when journalists were all trying to get an interview, he pushed them all off because he had a prior engagement: he was going to a garden party for Camden and Islington Mental Health - fund raising, and he said it was more important than pleasing the press! So he got my vote back then!
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Yeah the morning is dragging on as I anticipate going to his discharge meeting this afternoon, speaking to his docs/therapists and getting some answers. I’m going to push for him to sign the release of information. They still won’t even give me an official diagnosis. Maybe today.
But I know it is serious because they are referring him to more therapy and possibly a long term psychosis intervention program - if he is accepted.
I don’t like him very much when he is delusional. He becomes arrogant with flat affect, knows everything, has solved every problem in his mind, etc. He doesn’t understand why I don’t concur.
I have a lot to learn. So very much. Not even two weeks ago, I knew next to nothing about sz and related disorders. Look at me now… on this forum. Reading everything I possibly can.
Still seems surreal.
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Yes, it’s really hurtful all that stuff but I really did decide to see it as ‘not him’. That’s the illness and ‘not him’. Or it’s him when he’s ill and delusional so he’s got an excuse for it. These days he can discuss his previous delusions and laugh about them. I hope we can stay on the recovery path.
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