Our son is 23, he has mild intellectual disability and autism. SZA set in just before his 21st birthday. He has always taken his medication (a little resistance from time to time) and despite ups and downs, he seemed to respond reasonably well overall. While it has been challenging, we have always felt able to manage the situation and realise from reading about what other families describe that we have had a very easy time by comparison to many. He has believed very bad things about himself that are not true, that he has done terrible things in the past which he has not done and we have usually been able to reassure him and/or increase his meds temporarily to help him through. However in the last two months we have noticed a change. He is now mostly on 5mg Risperidone, 20mg Prozac per day. His behaviour has been a bit more aggressive - nothing violent just his manner of speaking to us. We’ve noticed him looking at us quietly in a somewhat menacing way. We knew he was wrestling with some thought that was troubling him, So last night after we had gone to bed, he was restless, walking around the house, he came in and out of our room a few times, waking us up. Finally he came in told us that he had been thinking of killing us in our sleep because we are getting the way of his mission to organise the second coming of Christ. (Religious/supernatural stuff has been a feature of his deluded thoughts - he hears voices and sometimes sees people as well.) I know by him that there is a real possibility that he might actually do this if the psychosis kicks in strongly, which it can do quite suddenly. There is a very different quality and tone to his behaviour recently. We will seek medical help asap and he may have to go to hospital but I am heartbroken because I know that we will never feel safe with him again. This is a new departure in the progress of his condition. I fear he may need to be placed in some facility rather than cared for at home, yet part of me would be relieved, I cannot help it and feel extremely guilty about it.
Hello and welcome to this forum.
I would use great caution around your son. Call his doctor first thing and discuss the situation.
Please use caution and be careful.
Trust your instincts, this could be very serious.
Annie
P.S. my son Lou, you can go to my sight under activity and read some of my first posts
Hi
Welcome to the group I hope you find the support you need here.
Mental illness is so difficult especially when it affects the people we love. I personally find it hard to make difficult decisions when it comes to my loved ones health. Please take every precaution to keep yourself and the rest of your family safe. If something happens to you you won’t be able to help your son anymore.
Take care
OMG NOT GOOD, you will never achieve good rest without proper security. If yall cannot achieve proper sleep and rest you will fail at his endeavor…
I sleep behind a solid wood door with dead bolts and a 357 on the night stand:
This is a great mechanism for security. If you do not have have a solid door, consider a steel or solid wood replacement asap:
Go to Home Depot or Lowes TODAY and purchase one or similar ASAP…
If your son is a big strong man, you might need even more levels of security…
Hands down the MOST dangerous time in the phases of the SZ…
The other comments you already understand, you must do something today for the additional security if you are still alive this morning… hope so…
I am so sorry that you are going through this truly frightening time. When my son was at his worst, I would never be without my phone and my keys, so that could call for assistance, and also could quickly get away.
DEFINITELY lock your bedroom door while your son is home. I was aware that the danger was coming from the psychosis and not my son’s heart, but that doesn’t decrease the danger. You should be able to get an immediate admission to the hospital.
Once you have certain safeguards in place, you may be able at some point to relax again, and transfer that fear to the illness and off of your son. It is so sad though.
I think the thing to think about is that some of our family members do much better when they don’t live with us.
My son is happier and does better living several hours away from us in his own apartment.
I’m relieved you are taking his psychotic threats seriously. A mom and dad in our Family to Family class were killed by their son in a psychotic episode. He had told them several times he was going to kill them.
Welcome to the forum. Yes, your son is actually verbalized a threat, and they should admit him immediately into the hospital. I think I remember reading something about Prozac years and years ago, how could cause strange thoughts. Don’t know if that’s the problem, but it’s worth looking into.
In my state, a comment like that would enable the police to force hospitalize your son. I had to call the police on my daughter several times. My daughter once made a similar comment (that everyone in the house should be dead), I called and they came and she went to the hospital. She had delusions of being in touch with superior beings who watched over the city from the sky (sort of spiritual/religious). I used to sleep behind locked doors, and even built in a new wall and door into the hallway between our bedrooms to lock us each into our own sides of the house.
She has been on a medicine that works for her since Dec 2018 and is such a different person now. She doesn’t remember a lot of her psychotic past, and doesn’t remember 3 of her 5 hospitalizations. So do what you need to do to keep yourself safe and help your son get on the right medicines. As you said, “I cannot help it and feel extremely guilty about it”. There are many things you will have to do that you don’t WANT to do to help your son, and keep yourself safe, but DON’T feel guilty about it. I understand, as I felt that way too, but psychosis is scary and unpredictable, and only you can decide how best to solve each situation. I wish you the best sorting this out.
So sorry to hear all your worries , I would get him baker acted as it seems they need to adjust his meds at the hospital , good luck and keep safe .
I agree that his threat alone is enough to have him hospitalized involuntary. I would seize this opportunity to get him help. Yes, hey a lock for your bedroom door. But I hope you get him hospitalized ASAP.
She has not posted back, I hope she is alive…
Yes, hopefully she is busy bringing him stuff in a facility.