My husband, who is 28 currently, and I’m 26, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 21. It was an arranged marriage so I didn’t know he had schizophrenia. He has had intense psychotic episodes and has also cut himself during some of them. He has a thing with mirrors in general, and also experiences one particular visual hallucination and auditory hallucinations. I found it scary at first, im so sorry for saying scary but it was frightening. He was abused by both his parents at a young age. He also took LSD, and had bad trips more often than good ones. He now takes his medication and now has psychosis less often and I recently found out I’m pregnant… I was taking birth control pills but somehow it didn’t work (maybe I missed it for a day, I’ve been extremely busy with work, I’m a government employee). I told him about it and he’s not exactly very happy about it, abortion is not an option due to medical reasons and he took LSD again, and had a very bad trip where he almost threw something at me., but he cut himself again. He thinks he’d be a terrible father. And that he might pass on the illness. That’s all.
Hi Lily2, welcome to the forum! Our family members are pretty sensitive to change, any sort of change, good or bad, can trigger psychosis. We encourage people to read Dr Amador’s book that explains his LEAP method of communication “I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help” I know your husband is taking meds, I mention the LEAP method of communication because communicating with LEAP can be comforting to our family members when they are struggling with psychosis.
I’m glad he shared his concern that he might be a terrible father and his worries that he may pass on his schizophrenia to his unborn child. These are legitimate concerns and hopefully you can comfort him by assuring him that all new dads have similar concerns. New dads worry a lot.
You will be there to help each other as you grow into parents and there is a good chance he will not pass on the brain disorder. Take care of each other.
He really should not be taking LSD as that can cause psychotic episodes even in people who don’t have schizophrenia. He’ll most likely stop taking it when he has more bad trips than good ones. If not, then he has to see for himself it’s not good to take it. You can help him see that by reading I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone Accept Treatment
It’s good that he’s medication-compliant. That’s a real plus. Hopefully he’s seeing a psychiatrist regularly and they are jointly managing his meds.
Finally, you need to take care of yourself. I ran across this book lately and it might be useful: The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself
I wish the both of you luck navigating your husband’s schizophrenia, and of course the episodes are frightening to you. I was frightened too when they happened in my home. I found comfort coming to this site to read during the really hard times at home. I do hope that he stays off of any other medicines than what his doctor recommends. How is his diet? Does he eat well, exercise at all? A good diet can mend alot. You must take care of yourself and your coming baby too.