How is your daughter?
Does she have hobbies
What does she like to do?
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My daughter (almost 35 now) became psychotic at age 32. At first she often seemed normal, talking to herself when alone. Later, psychosis grew stronger. She isolated 24/7 in her room talking/screaming to beings who watched over the city. Nothing had much effect on delusions/hallucinations or paranoia. Police force hospitalized her 4 times, once arrested (charges dropped). I was reluctant to force her myself. Finally, I realized nothing was going to help her, nothing was going to change unless forced onto meds. When she was arrested again on Dec 2 running in and out of traffic yelling at a busy 5 story building downtown, and kicking a policeman, I used the opportunity to get her force medicated by the courts. I went to court, talked to the judge, wrote to the public defender, wrote to the DA, wrote to the hospitals she could be in, telling everyone she needed to be medicated. This time, finally, I didnāt feel like a traitor, I felt like a drowning person grabbing onto a life-ring to stop drowning. I was going to USE the system to help us. I was made health care proxy, and allowed her to be injected. Her psychosis ended. Sheās been great, really great since Dec 9th or so. I believe she will stay on the meds (she said she would). After three years, she seems almost 100% recovered. The medicine and the system gave us a miracle.
@DianeR said maybe you @Marytalland could benefit from my story. I feel lucky that the āforces of the universeā came together to give this result. I hope you can find a way to help your daughter Marytalland .
I was told in a very early NAMI meeting that it might be best to get my daughter force hospitalized and medicated over and over until she stayed medicated. I hated that advice. I didnāt want to put her on medicine, weād always been health food and supplement oriented, rarely using medicine. However, 24 hour psychosis was NOT getting better without medicine. Now the psychosis is over.
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Hi Mary, Welcome to the group that people would prefer not to be part of but grateful itās here.
Your daughter sounds much like my son with the creativity, other world, fear of sleeping and coming into our bed until 13 years of age, etc. We went through hell with our son and it cost me my marriage. He is 29 now and finally well enough to have mostly ānormalā conversations. And he can do more things for himself but he needs a lot of supports.
It helps to deal with the issues at hand and not look back. NAMI is a great resource and support.
Iāve found that Iāve lost all my āfriendsā over the years and most family members. Some stay in touch by computer but we stopped getting invites a long time ago. So having friends who āget itā because they are dealing with the same issue is worth so much.
Have her Dr keep trying different meds until you find the right one for her. Everyone responds differently. But med changes should only be done in a hospital setting because their are very rough side effects of switching.
Always keep your eyes open to who her friends are and if they are MJ smokers and alcohol drinkers as people with Schiz are made worse with both. Many times people think the illness is getting worse when substances are being used. There is even a condition called āMarijuana psychosisā that happens to 10% of the population. My son used to recover from MJ Psychosis but he wouldnāt stop smoking it and it eventually became permanent. So I advise everyone with a vulnerable child to watch for signs and read up on it and not attribute all symptoms to the illness.
What drugs can cause permanent psychosis?
Drugs That Can Cause Psychosis
Methamphetamine. The use of methamphetamine can lead to paranoia, persecution delusions, and auditory and visual hallucinations. ā¦
Cannabis. ā¦
Cocaine. ā¦
Amphetamine. ā¦
Alcohol. ā¦
Psychedelic drugs (e.g., LSD, PCP, etc) ā¦
Club/recreational drugs (e.g., ecstasy) ā¦
Prescription meds (e.g., ketamine)
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She has been on 2 different antidressants for a year. At home she just sleeps more because of the tranquilizers but she is still more or less the same i mean i dont know she hasnt spoken to me about anything.
She loves drawing always has since a kid and dancing. Shes very creative but she seemed to lose interest in doing things.
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Losing interest is part of the illness. Antidepressants without a mood stabilizer can sometimes make them worse so I hope she is on a mood stabilizer and not just tranquilizers. (Benzodiazepines?) Mostly schizophrenia is put on antipsychotics and then an antidepressant or other drug added, if necessary. Antipsychotics are classified as Major Tranquilizers. Her meds might need tweaking. Something to bring up with her doctor. The wrong med can cause some negative effects. Keep trying until you find the right one. My son lost interest in music and art which heās very talented in until they finally found the right meds. Nothing worked for him but Clozapine which they usually save for last.
She is only 18 so while she is young I would get her classified as disabled if you havenāt already because she could qualify for Medicare along with social security. It is better insurance than Medicaid.
You just have to show that she has been ill since that age and before.
Hey marytallland!
Thatās awesome she likes to draw!
Iāll share you an experience
My gf was prescribed anti depressants for
ADHD medication
Sleeping medication
Anxiety medication
Antipsychotics for 6years
Guess what
She doesnāt take anything anymore besides an antipsychotic at a very low dose of 78mg
All these medications have detrimental side effects
And deeper intervention has to take place
One thing is for sure
The scientist of the past have been proven wrong
The scientist of today will be proven wrong by the scientist of tommoro.
Just know I am not trying to stray you away from medication
Just try everything else before you dive into that stuffā¦
Have you looked into CBD?how about amino acids?
What is she eating?
Diet is huge
Does she have friends?
Another similarity between our daughterās! My daughter also loves drawing, writing stories, making costumes, and stuffed animals. One of the clues I see when she is having a rough day with her illness is losing interest in things she normally loves to do
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I am likely loosing my BF (of 8 years - 7 living together) because of my sons illness. The BF is moving to FL. Weāll see how it all pans out but I keep telling myself it may be for the best. Def choose my son over the BF.
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Donna, could you please clarify what you said about getting Medicare rather than Medicaid if you are young enough and classified as disabled?
My son became ill and was first hospitalized at age 19. He was then diagnosed, started collecting SSI, and got Medicaid at age 20. Heās age 22 now. Is he eligible for Medicare? How does a person get āclassifiedā as disabled? Isnāt that something that was already done when he was awarded SSI and Medicaid? Does Medicare eligibility only happen if the person became ill before age 18?
Just curious, has anything happened in her life that may have caused the nightmares? Anything stessful or sudden changes? Has she been screened for PTSD? People with PTSD also have recurring nightmares where some are even afraid to go to sleep at night.
I hope your daughter is getting the help she needs.
As a parent of children who have scizoeffective, it happened all of suddenā¦There were no signs. One of my children grew up completely normal, then things changed out of the blue. Sometimes signs are present, but unless you know what to look for you may miss them entirely.
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Several posts have hit a nerve with me tonight and made me take a look at my life and be thankful. Despite 3 years of psychosis, my daughter had over 30 years of a normal life before her illness hit. My husband has not left our 10 year relationship despite her coming to live with us 3 years ago, out of the blue, and pretty much psychotic 24/7 except a few days a month. I have learned to tolerate and do well personally despite her sz and his alcoholism (binge drinking) and even she has learned to tolerate him: we all do better with help from each other. We have a stable home now, even if it isnāt a normal home from anyone elseās view. Although I lost friends and relatives quickly over my daughter and husbandās odd behavior, I have gained others from unexpected places, so I can go out on my own with them to dinner or activities to give myself a break: I didnāt even know most of those women 3 years ago, and we became friends recently despite them knowing of my strange home life. The NAMI lessons and posts from here have helped me navigate police, courts, hospitals, etc, and my daughter is now medicated, psychosis broken and doing well. Yes, I am today thankful my new-normal weird life has come to me and my loved ones. During the rough times, I had no hope, was super depressed, wanted to run away and hide, and never thought I would reach a point where I was thankful for my current life. Odd to say it, but I have again reached a happy point, almost without realizing the slow improvements added up to so much. Now I understand why it is so important to not give up hope. I wish everyone struggling right now a path forward of improvements in quality of life. Thank you @Donna1 @Skye_Raine @DianeR @Marytalland @Windyhill63 @TheSunshineMaras for sharing. I hope you all find some rainbows.
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That is a good point. Iām trying to feel grateful for all I have. I may have my son living with me for the rest of my life but at least Iāll know where he is.
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There is a lot to be grateful forā¦ even though it is hard to find a pych doctor since my daughter isnāt in a crisis situation, I can be grateful that she isnāt in a crisis suitation!
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I tried looking back to see if I saw any signs, never did. I am a firm believer in Clozapine, my grandson got his life back with this medication. It took 2 years to get him on it. But he is doung well, working fulltime for 2 years now, making friends. He failed on all the others was arrested for drawing on a bridge and finally hospitalized and they did Clozapine. Within 5 days the voices were down to 90 percent he goes weeks now without them. Itās been the miracle drug for him
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I felt the same way when my daughter was diagnosed. We had learning challenges plus a previous heart defect as well. So anything that was, I felt was do to her having open heart surgery at 3 months. I was involved with her academics throughout her entire school years. Not once did any of the professionals in her life Express concern. It was at the age of 20 when she was diagnosed. She is now 23. It has been an absolute struggle.
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It took some time to adjust to the idea that she will probably never be on her own again. I was very resentful and angry at first.
Changes in myself because of her, have led to greater tolerance and kindness in myself in general. I used to ignore the homelessā¦ most have a mental illness. I recently drove a woman released from a Baker Act to her āhome in the woodsā and bought her some food. I spoke to another woman sitting alone in a parking lot with a small sign: sheās lived in a tent for months now, and has to beg, because her social security disability hasnāt been approved yet, she was a cashier at a grocery store for years before getting ill. I gave Burger King to a woman who is always camped near the restaurant on the bus bench:sheās been sexually abused, stolen from and in general hated on, and is both mentally and physically disabled.
I could never turn out my daughter knowing that she would become one of those homeless women for the rest of her life. It is a catch 22: I donāt want to care for her forever, but I must. Right now, it is pleasant to have her in my home, due to medication compliance. I have no idea if that will continue for the long term, however, even when in psychosis, I know she has no where else to go, and no one to care for her but me.
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@oldladyblue Itās just a little rough right now. My boyfriend (who I lived with for 7 years - and have been together with for over 8) has two adult sons who donāt have the issues my son does and now he (the bf) inherited a bunch of money and moves to FL in 3 weeks. Iām trying to tell myself itās all for the best. He does want me to go but at the moment I canāt due to my son living with me and more. So Iām feeling a bit abandoned. I too have learned more compassion for people and situations but like I said - going through a rough patch.
We have homeless on many street corners here (CO) but according to those who know many of them are Meth addicts. Iāve only approached them a few years ago to give them a flyer for a missing person and these days I have extra apple juice so Iāve been offering that. I actually got turned down the other day.
Sigh. Gosh, I hate to see him leaving ā¦ an 8 year relationshipā¦ it has to be tough to watch him go. But perhaps something will occur to make it possible for you to go too.
I am starting to carry juice boxes and protein bars in my car to give out. I donāt like to give money because it often goes toward alcohol (and maybe drugs) as you mentioned.
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I apologise in advance for not replying but my daughter has attempted suicide yet again and i have been at the hospital with her everyday. They have been putting antipsychotic solution in her drinks i gave them permission to do this. Theyve increased the dosage on her medications and hopefully she can come home soon.
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