My 14 year old son was just diagnosed

I just found out this week that my son has early onset schizophrenia with psychotic behavior. My heart just broke. I don’t know what is next, why us and most of all will he be ok. I have so much guilt for denying all the signs. I also want to know if I should get a second opinion. I have talked to the dr’s and he’s counceler and they all confirm this nightmare is true. I am scared and so sad about my little boys future.

It’s a lot to process and will take time.

There is no real way to predict the future for anyone. I have read that earlier treatment can bring better outcomes. Maybe there is an early psychosis treatment center near you if you are very lucky:

http://www.mentalhealthexcellence.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Early-Psychosis-Intervention-Directory-011015.pdf

also, Early Psychosis and Schizophrenia Treatment Programs - Schizophrenia.com

I hope for the best outcome for your son.

3 Likes

Our fifteen year old daughter was just diagnosed a few months ago. We’re in the same boat. There still seems to be a lot of unknowns right now. I wish there was a way to know what the future holds for her and our family. For now, I just have to be content with helping her get settled on some medicine that will work and adjusting her life and ours to find a new balance.

I’ve been reading everything I can find to learn more about schizophrenia, and just doing my best to support her.

I thought about getting a second opinion, but as I have read about the symptoms, my daughter is a textbook case. It’s obvious, even to me, that this is what she has.

This board has been a good resource. There are many good suggestions of books and websites to read. If you look around a bit here, you will see some lists of websites to check out. Sorry I don’t have access to copy them myself.

Good luck, and keep in touch.

Can I ask is your daughter still living in a facility or have they let her come home? Right now the hospital is looking for long term treatment for my son. They said they aren’t sure if or when he should go home.

I have asked them to do a MRI on my son. I have read that there are other issues that could cause the same effects as schizophrenia. I just want to rule out every other possibilities.

3 Likes

Actually, our daughter has never been in a facility, which seems pretty uncommon from everything I’ve read. After suffering from hallucinations for almost two years, she came to me and told me what was going on.

I actually just asked her psychiatric nurse if we should look into getting an MRI just to rule anything else out, and his words were, " If you hear hoofbeats, don’t go looking for zebras." But then he said we could talk to our family doctor about getting an MRI if we were still concerned. She doesn’t have any other symptoms of things like tumors, no headaches, etc. But we do have good insurance, so we might just get one for peace of mind.

Hi A_S7002,

What country, state do you live in. In the USA its actually typically very hard to get people into a facility for more than 72 hours - its very expensive approach to treatment. I get the feeling that you may be in a different country - and have better access to healthcare services than most of us do in the USA.

Just take your time - we have people here on our Diagnosed forums who were told by their doctors that they would never work, never have a regular life - and are now working and married and have children and doing well. The point is - don’t ever give up hope for a life that is improving for your son. With good therapy and medications - people can do very well with schizophrenia / psychosis. Recovery is something you should work towards - and everyone will have different types of recovery, and thats ok. People can still live a good life.

Here is a good FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers) on schizophrenia:

Some good tips on “First Aid for Schizophrenia / Psychosis” to help you know how to deal with people who have psychosis:

http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/005561.html

Also - here is a good book for families on schizophrenia / psychosis:

Here are some online videos on recovery:

Fred Frese:

Elyn Saks

I hope this helps.

Get the MRI if possible because then at least you have a baseline for the future (years in the future) to see whether there have been changes consistent with mental illness.

Differential diagnosis to be certain there is not a separate condition can put your mind at ease that you did everything you could.

2 Likes

Thank you. I really appreciate any information that can help us. We live in Utah and he is currently at the university psychology ward.

1 Like

Have you given her any medication? If so how is she responding?

She’s currently on Zyprexa, Latuda, and Prozac. She tried Clonidine and Risperdal. She’s doing a lot better. The voices are mostly gone, but she’s still struggling with tactile hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. So far, it’s been a balancing act of trying to manage her symptoms and the side effects of the drugs.

She’s still pretty miserable. Every day is a chore for her. She’s struggling in school. She was a straight A student before, and today we were talking to her teachers about how to just help her finish the term and pass her classes so she can get credit.

We’re just taking it one day at a time right now. What are they doing for your son?

Right now he is taking risperdol. He has been in the hospital for two weeks and we are moving him into long term care. He has been withdrawn from school but he is a brilliant kid that went from straight A’s to straight D’s. They think he is a high risk case because he has stated he wants to kill and snapped on a student that was making fun of him. He’s always been shy but now he’s withdrawn. I really don’t think he would hurt anyone but they aren’t convinced. Most likely he will finish the school year in the care facility.

That’s hard. I don’t know what I would feel like if my daughter was in a facility. I still feel very unsure about where all of this will go. I’m dealing with some health issues of my own as well as taking care of my other children. It’s hard to find a balance. This all feels like a bad dream at times.