My mom was recently diagnosis with schizoaffective and mood disorder. She was currently in a mental health clinic since the day after thanksgiving. She is now in a place where they monitor her medicine for two weeks.
She has a history with chronic depression and anxiety disorder. She has been in the mental health hospital on and off for several years (2006-2010) before she was stable with her depression. She was doing well for with her medicine since last year, when we moved and they didn’t have any physiatrist available for her to see. She slowly took herself off of her medicine, and was doing well for a couple of months.
This past October, she has been getting very angry and snapping at everyone for the littlest things. Four days before thanksgiving, we all took notice that she wasn’t sleeping at all. She took to crying in the bathroom all night, and started talking to people that weren’t there. Thinking that she was pregnant with ten or more babies and doctors were stealing her eggs, making her think that she has more children out there. She was also saying she was going to get married to an ex-boyfriend of hers that she hasn’t seen in over ten years.
On Thanksgiving Day, she told everyone that she was pregnant with ten babies and had two uterus. Back in 2006, she had a partial hysterectomy. Her only living children are me and my brother.
Now she is out of the mental health crisis center, and spending two weeks where they monitor her medicine, although she keeps saying that she’s pregnant and has been for ten years. And that she is going to see her ex-boyfriend whom she hasn’t seen or been in contact with for ten years. How can I tell her that he’s probably moved on and not living in that area? And that there is no way that she can be pregnant? How should I deal with this situation? Everyone in my family tells her that there is no way for her to be pregnant or going to get married to the guy, but she just keeps insisted that she was. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Sorry man that’s a tough situation. Especially when it’s someone else. At least she has already gotten past the initial barriers of getting help in the past. Get her to a doctor asap.
She is currently on medicine which helps her somewhat., but she is just in that mindset where she is right and everyone else is wrong no matter how many people tell her the same thing.
It may take a while for her to get better and even when she does she may not heal completely. I am on medication and still have symptoms. Sorry to give you bad news. Don’t get too down though, because people can improve when they are on the right meds.
Welcome to the forum @Confussed23
Please look at these sites:
http://www.leapinstitute.org/ - under resources are free videos on using LEAP
LEAP is a way of communicating to build trust. Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner.
http://dramador.com/ - Dr. Xavier Amador is a clinical psychologist whose brother had schizophrenia. He is the founder of the LEAP Institute. Wrote the book: I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! Can buy from his website.
Search Xavier Amador and LEAP on youtube.com and you should find some long videos
Treatment Advocacy Center - under problems you will see anosognosia
Anosognosia looks like denial but is different.
Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - LessWrong - helped my understand delusions
http://www.nami.org/ - National Alliance on Mental Illness.
http://www.schizophrenia.ca/ - Schizophrenia Society of Canada
Can also find some very useful information here:
Early Psychosis Treatment center information in these two links
http://www.raiseetp.org/sites/
http://psychosisprevention.org/get-involved/education-center/finding-treatment/
Psychiatric Treatment Centers affiliated with Medical Schools in the USA
This link may help you find a psychiatrist in your area
Is the facility that she is currently in willing to keep her longer then two weeks? It can take longer then these for medications to work and stabilize the person.
She may just need some time in the hospital to stabilize. I know if depresion and anxiety go on for too long, it can lead to psychosis. My mother was in a hospital for 3 months at one time because of depression. When she got out, she had to take things slow-not take on too much.
Good luck to you and your family-hope your mom recovers soon!