I am new to this site. My son’s psychiatrist suggested that I check it out. My 27 year old son was diagnosed with sz 5 months ago. We found out he has been suffering with symptoms for about 7 years and never said anything about it. His first 3 months were in a rehab center, as he was trying to self medicate with alcohol because he didn’t know what was going on in his head. He has been home 2 months and still seems fearful of going out around others. He has auditory and smell hallucinations and paranoia, his abilify is helping some but is not quite strong enough yet to control his symptoms. I am not sure how much to push him. I don’t want to cause him more stress, but I don’t want him to play up his sz. I would appreciate any tips that you would like to share. Thanks
I should have added this son can be a bit dramatic sometimes and knows how to work me pretty good.
I would maybe see if his psychiatrist can be notified that he still is delusional a bit. welcome to the site.
You’re welcome here. It’s good to have you. I think you need to keep working with the medications for your son. If Abilify doesn’t work, there are others. Geodon and Seroquel do me pretty good. Support your son, but try not to enable him. Encourage him to get out. Maybe you should think of ways your son can become independent, because you can’t support him his whole life.
Welcome to the site!
He has probably learned how to work you ( and others ) because thats the only way he could get what he needed. Not saying this is definite, but my own son has done this. I would say dont push anything that would cause stress-that will just amp up his symptoms.
Be supportive, do what you feel is ok with you. Join a local support group.
Hope this helps
Thanks for the tips. This is all so new that my husband and I are at a total loss as to what to do for him. We live in a small western town with not a lot of resources. He sees a pshyc nurse practitioner that is good, but she is all there is here to monitor his meds and deal with him. I guess one of the hard parts is that it affects everyone so different and that everything is trial and error. It is hard to come to terms with the fact my son as I knew him is probably gone. I still love him so much, I just need to figure out how to help him. You know us moms we have to try and fix everything.
Thanks
Boy do I!!
I think the best thing to do is to take your signals from him.
im assuming he signed a release so that the nurse, or doctor, can talk to you about his treatment. My son was not med-compliant so he was put on injections instead. He had then once a month. He will probably due a lot better once the meds have been in his sytem awhile. I would also listen to him when he tells you about any side effects form the meds. He may have to experiment to see which ones work best for him-its trial and error.
Even though he may be symptomatic, he`s still in there and knows what he can tolerate.
Good luck and stay with us–this site has helped me so much…
Welcome to the forum @crayon
My son is almost 21, diagnosed in 2011 with paranoid sz. He also has addiction issues and ADHD.
Some of these links may help:
http://www.leapinstitute.org/ - under resources are free videos on using LEAP
LEAP is a way of communicating to build trust. Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner.
http://dramador.com/ - Dr. Xavier Amador is a clinical psychologist whose brother had schizophrenia. He is the founder of the LEAP Institute. Wrote the book: I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! Can buy from his website.
Search Xavier Amador and LEAP on youtube.com and you should find some long videos
Treatment Advocacy Center - under problems you will see anosognosia
Anosognosia looks like denial but is different.
Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - LessWrong - helped my understand delusions
http://www.nami.org/ - National Alliance on Mental Illness.
http://www.schizophrenia.ca/ - Schizophrenia Society of Canada
Can also find some very useful information here:
Early Psychosis Treatment center information in these two links
http://www.raiseetp.org/sites/
http://psychosisprevention.org/get-involved/education-center/finding-treatment/
Psychiatric Treatment Centers affiliated with Medical Schools in the USA
This link may help you find a psychiatrist in your area
Another article that I keep going back to is this:
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/oppositional-defiant-disorder-odd-and-ad-hd/8922
Trying to decide what are appropriate boundaries and expectations are not easy. I would say that you know your son the best. With my son it was eye opening when I would see certain things happening. He wouldn’t do anything at home, barely pick up after himself yet he once went to his friends and did dishes for a couple of cigarettes. While inpatient he wasn’t swearing at the nurses yet was swearing at me. Yesterday he didn’t have the energy to get in the shower or do a load of laundry yet last night he learned how to take bus(s) to go visit someone where they generally drink and smoke marijuana.
I can only speak for my own experience that in letting certain boundaries slip I have not helped my son. This doesn’t mean that I have high expectations. When my son is experiencing symptoms or psychosis then rules and expectations tend to go out the window as I know he is not capable. From day to day what he is capable of can change.
This woman runs a blog that you may enjoy reading. Her son is I think 20 and was diagnosed maybe two years ago.
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/understanding-schizophrenia-a-facebook-page/2098
I myself started a blog that if you are interested in reading, let me know and I will PM it.
Some other articles:
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/anosognosia-article/12157
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/the-caregiver-space/10783
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/8-ways-to-help-someone-live-well-with-schizophrenia/10496
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/hipaa-at-a-glance-us/2298
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/creating-a-crisis-plan/3224
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/questions-to-ask-the-psychiatrist/2695
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/how-to-tell-someone-they-have-a-mental-illness/2582
http://forum.schizophrenia.com/t/schizophrenia-substance-use/14459
Sorry I know that was a lot of links 
I was very much the same, nowadays things are becoming much different in my sobriety, which has only been 12 days. I was diagnosed in 2008 and it’s a difficult illness. Make sure that he gets out though, no matter how terrifying it may seem to him a lot of this can help him stand up to his illness.
(IE get out of the house, be active, ignore the terrifying things his head may be going through)
Thank-you all so much. I have been feeling rather lost and scared about our future, it is so great to have info and more important the support of people who understand what we are going through. It helps so much to know we aren’t alone. @neveragain I am so happy for you for making it 12 days sober. I will be reading the info that you sent me @BarbieBF. Thanks
MY advice would be don’t push him, don’t get on his case and avoid stress. Sz is a serious illness and extra stress makes things worse.
I’m on day 18 no drinking or smoking cigarettes. New nicotine gum works great and tastes like juicyfruit. Next is the cancellation of the ganja. Which I’m working on gradually. I hope you all are doing well I’m going to try to enter into a music writing competition, wish me luck you guys!