This is a good book for some general info… I found it’s now on Amazon Kindle for only $11.00
It discusses symptoms… treatments… how to handle the docs and the crisis managements services in areas… It does talk about the meds used… but it also talks about other treatment too… and family services… counselors… visiting nurses… financial aid… there is a LOT of info in small bits in this book
It has references to Nami… ( www.nami.org)
Nami is a very good place to start to get the flavor of this illness and Nami also goes in for family support groups, what to expect… NAMI is a national org… so there are chapters in almost every far reaching area.
I’d say… get to know more about this illness… get him to a doc just as a check up maybe focus on anxiety or some other problem that might be bothering him
A gifted counselor might do him a lot of good. The only problem is at his age there is confidentiality. You’re the parent. There is got a way for you to force him to see someone just for a weekly talk.
Either way, after a few sessions with a counselor the parents might get an idea of what is going on with him. For all they know he was raped or experienced some sort of trauma. Maybe he is being bullied. I think it matters to know what is going through his head.
I am surprised by your comments, CloudDog. That would shatter the trust between me and my parents if they did that to me. You’ve made statements like schizophrenia is the definition of being a danger to yourself and others. I take offense to that. Everyone is different and maybe you needed to be hospitalized for a year and maybe you were a danger to yourself and other people, but that doesn’t mean everyone is. That’s just my take on the situation.
and to the parent, I think you should realize you’re trying to put your son on a very heavy duty drug that can cause serious side effects and health problems, including diabetes. I have a relative who recently had their foot amputated because of diabetes. I think if you’re going to put your son on them it should be a last resort and you should know psychologically what is going on with him. I think your son may be hiding something from you and that it is very possible more is going on here than just bad genes.
One last thing to keep in mind. If your son goes on this type of medication and then he abruptly decides to go off of it it can literally make him psychotic when right now he might just be going through a rough teenage angst ridden phase. It is not something to play around with.
You should definitely take him to a psychiatrist that has experience with people that have severe mental disorder because thats what schizophrenia is.
Your standard psychiatrist primarily deals with mild emotional problems.
Those that have never dealt with severe mental disorder would handle it completely different than someone experienced.
Like Daimon said it could be trauma induced or drug induced.
The first time I was given meds at 13 I was suicidal for around a month because the meds and then I snapped out of it when the meds were out of my system.
Crystal meth can cause a psychotic break and it doesn’t show in drug test after a short time.
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
Psychiatric Treatment Centers affiliated with Medical Schools in the USA
This link may help you find a psychiatrist in your area
Getting your son into an Early Intervention Program or an ACT/PACT program would probably help a lot.
A really good article on anosognosia. It’s hard for someone to see that they need help when the condition itself causes the person to not be able to see that they need help.
Since your son is 17 and not legally an adult yet then there are some things that you may want to start considering. So many parents/caregivers find themselves in harder situations once their loved one reaches adulthood as privacy laws come into play. Learn the privacy laws where you live.
I don’t think I have any links for this however start looking into having releases and consents signed so that you have access to your son’s files and treatment team.
The first thing to do would be to try to stop the weed use.
It can cause problems that flare up into full bore sz.
It can make people sz that without weed might have had a chance of normality.
This happened to my son. All were quick to label him sz. It was so similar, even I worried did he get it too? My husband blamed everything he did on sz. Our son had such anger and would punch holes in the walls.
To make a long long story short, he finally stopped weed use and Alcohol too that interferes with employment and causes interactions with police. I got a restraining order after he came onto our bedroom at night and badly bruised me. But then we let him back because where would he go to? But later and just getting worse he hit my husband badly, We allowed him to be arrested. I’ll never forget now lost he looked at the hearing but I’ll never forget the woman judge saying out loud, “I would not be too quick to bail him out.”
Well it only took a week in jail to have a complete change of attitude. He went to an alcohol rehab only to try to get a good judgement at the trial. We did not want to live with him again as he was very aggressive and rarely left his room.
Luckily he knew a neighbor that had a daughter his age who was away at school and he allowed John to move in with him while he restarted classes at a local trade school. Good grades and AA attendance were a condition of living there. That neighbor bless his heart finally taught him respect and how to be a man.
I found a doctor to wean him off the medications. I am happy to say he really is normal WITHOUT alcohol and week…
Now this is a sz forum and I am sad if people don’t have it that easy. But just understand that alcohol and weed use only adds to a person’s problems if they have sz or not.
