Hi: My name is Lennie and I have been married for 48 years now. My Wife we think is Paranoid SZ or Bi-polar. In July she was declared to have tinnitus with severe hearing loss. Then in Oct she started to say the noise in her ears is not tinnitus, but spirits making the noise. From Oct to now she has gotten worse. Says I brought the spirits in the apartment and given them to her. She has gotten to the points its all about the spirits ruining her life and I let them. Yes she has delusions etc and say the spirits are having sex with me and raping her. We finally have a appointment with a Therapist Monday to start treatments. It took this long for her to agree. Told her Meds is the only way to make thing better. She does not want me in apartment because she thinks if I am not around the spirits will leave. She only sleeps 3 hours a night and yells in the apartment constantly For the spirits to leave her. She keeps getting mad at me because the spirits are my buddies and I let them do what and want do not ask them to leave. She is going on 84 and this has been a shock to my Family and I. This is a disgusting mean disorder. Now I hear that meds only reduce the symptoms and if she has some off and on spirits delusion she may never want me around if I do not get rid of the for her. Does this ever get better for the family and I.? Is there any hope at all? Prayers needed.
If your wife will work with the therapist and take meds, there is a good chance that things can get better. If there is one available, a geriatric specialist can be worth a visit.
Hi Lennie, my mother in law has the same symptom. She is brought up in a culture where she believes in spirits and ghosts and that’s normal for most of her life. Her delusion started last year when she has onset of dementia exacerbated with mild schizophrenia (hearing voices of spirits telling her to leave the house, etc). She is 87. Her condition improved after taking medication and her mentioning of voices stopped. We need to adjust her medication because it cause her drowsiness and she falls quite a lot due to that. Medication also helps her sleep better. Our decision is to reduce her medication during day time and have the normal dose during night seems to help.
Lennie, so sorry you are going through this now, please remember this is not her normal way of being and right now things are off for her. Hopefully she gets on the right meds to help alleviate the symptoms she is having. Lots of people have good outcomes from meds. But it is trial and error and may take a while don’t give up.
It totally sucks what you are going through and that is an understatement. I am so glad you have been together for so long with out this in your life. Its hard and I can’t give you any direction to go in but I do pray for the both of you and for your happiness to return to her and you.
Hi Lennie ,
I agree with you it is a disgusting mean disorder! and Im so sorry you and your wife are dealing with this now.
As for you question does it ever get better ?
I don’t really know how to answer that except to say I’ve been trying to appreciate the good moments / days .
and hang on to hope.
Even though its difficult to be away from your wife on the days you cannot stay at your apartment I hope you can rest and care for yourself for a bit of renewal as you know it takes much strength to care for some one dealing with this .
My thoughts are with you