Hi lindag,
Family to Family is available online? I was not aware of that, where can I find it?
Thanks for your reply, I know we need some time but it just feels like we will never be able to get it. This is year 3 and it has been the worst of all of them and keeps getting worse every day. He cannot be trusted alone at all. He has peed on all of our carpets out of spite and in our plants. He punches out walls and windows, leaves the house and doesn’t lock it if no one is home. Our sweet son has turned into an evil monster and it is killing us and I feel like he gets joy out of watching our suffering.
Thanks for the tip, I will check into the online classes. No matter if there was a wonder drug that would cure him instantly, I think he would refuse to take it…he is so difficult to try to help.
My heart aches for your family as we are going through the same thing. There is no help for someone who’s illness makes them not even try to accept help. The system is so screwed up in not allowing loved ones to force treatment on someone who is very obviously ill and not making logical decisions. This is why we have so many MI people in prison, homeless, and mass shootings in this country. When will the right people wake up and see that we need to fix the mental health system?
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Thank you, same to you and all the others dealing with this horrible illness.
I think common sense has gone out the window these days as my statement has always been and remains: How can someone who is not well make the decisions that are appropriate for them or be in charge of making those decisions. that alone is nonsense…It appears the courts, Dr. etc. all ignore or side step that 1 important question. The Dr.'s, medical, courts, patient and family all need to work together for the best interest of the MI, if that person is not well and it is apparent, then another decision needs to be reached for the wellness of the patient. Not sure why this is so difficult to understand and somebody who does not even know your family is making a decision on their life. My young man is going to be homeless soon if he cannot adjust his behavior and disrespect, he will then be back in jail for something stupid but because of his record will pay dearly. this is so unjust and inhuman. Where does this madness end???
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[quote=“2frustrated, post:17, topic:6487”]
He has progressed to Schizoaffective and believes the sheriff is following him everywhere and that they planted a tracking device in his ear. Insists we are all medicating him thru food and by touching or spraying him with it somehow. He isolates himself and washes his clothes 24/7…He is on probation and sees a therapist. We have not been able to do anything for him because he is Anosognosia and insists there is nothing wrong with him. He does not present any danger to anyone other then his obnoxious behavior so therefore we are told repeatedly they will do nothing for him…
Yes, I understand. My son has similar diagnosis except he wanted to travel from place to place and put himself in risky situations. He had traveled across 4 states since 2015: between Virginia, Arkansas, Texas and California.
Here is my story in Summary:
My son was in College for 4 years and working part-time. His first episode was in June 2015 where he drove from Virginia to Kentucky and hit his laptop and his cell phone. He started taking Zyprexa 10mg for couple of months then stopped after checking the side effects. He had another bad episode in December 2015 that prompt me to involuntarily commit him in my state and he was hospitalized for 5 weeks & later he was discharged and did not want to continue on his meds and left my home & was traveling from Airport to Airport for about 15 days using his credit cards calling relatives & cursing me and all my family. Finally, he ended up in California where my brother is. He was suicidal asking me to give him all my money otherwise he will kill himself. Contacted law enforcement and he was hospitalized hen discharged after 10 days and stayed with other family friends. and did not continue his meds. which lead to more physcotic episodes and Hospitalizations.
He had more Physcotic breaks in California between 2016 and 2017 and was hospitalized multiple times and was in jail one time. He came back home last April and I started the Guardianship process which was Hell. The guardianship helped me to get him Social security and Medi-Caid, otherwise he would not apply himself.
He disappeared for 2 weeks last December in California & I was so much high anxiety last December/2017 trying desperately to find him. Finally, he was found in a Hospital.
I had wrote a page summary of all his episodes & his Hospitalizations and send it to Mental Court in CA and to a Politician Assistant in mental health office in Santa Clara & to DA attorney and to his Public defender & psychiatric and social worker and I had showed in document that My son can be a danger to himself and to others. I had begged the psychiatric to conserve him.
Finally his psychiatric requested for him to be conserved in the county where the family friend had hosted him and he stayed in Hospital for about 7 months and now he is in a Locked Rehabilitation Facility
As of now, we are still trying to find the right medicine dose. he has been on a monthly Invega-Sustena shot of 117mg then recently 156mg. will request to increase it to 234mg in the next month. We are hoping to get him compliant on oral medicine…
He is still delusional but I am hoping that the higher dose will get him better.
As you see, the struggle continue
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I am so glad you were able to hospitalize him. We have not been able to do anything, he just drives everyone crazy with his conspiracies and insists we are helping the sheriff do things to him and allowing them to do things to him on a daily basis. He continues to call 911 for non emergencies to just complain that the sheriff is harassing him.
Does your son admit he has a problem at least as mine refuses any help?
I do know logically there has to be a better way that is more helpful to the patient and its caregivers. It is so rough to watch them suffer and feel so helpless.
My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Check with your local Nami. If they dont have it go on you tube dr michael di paolo gives excellent nami classes.
Also read dr xavier amador I am not sick I dont need help. Good book
My son still think that he is not sick and does not admit that he is delusional.
I think more than 60% would not admit they are sick even if when they become stable.
my Brother has been on medicine for at least 20 years. He is now 60 years of age and he is stable but he is still thinks he is not sick and he takes the medicine because my father asks him to take it.
Yes, I would say contact NAMI. they should have family to Family Class to help caregivers deal with the loved ones.
2frustrated,
is there anything that motivates your son perhaps like smoking cigarettes or a new cell phone or a trip to a nice place or anything else that would triggers his acceptance to see a physiatrist and take medicine.
I’ve attended NAMI’s Family to Family class and would love to be able to recommend people to an online class - what do they do some sort of group skype? On youtube I did see Dr Michael di Paolo but did not see Family to Family classes being offered.
NAMI Homefront this is the name of the class
NAMI’s Homefront is a free six-session education program for family, friends and partners of Military Service Members and Veterans with mental health conditions. It focuses on the unique needs of military an veteran communities, such as post-deployment and post discharge transitions.
Its is an adaptation of the evidence based Family to Family Education Program, which has been used in VA health facilities since the late 1990’s.
Good to know!
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