My partner just told me he is getting “bored” of the injections…in other words he wants off the medication. I responded with “Oh”. I am so glad he is getting treatment but it is annoying me that he can not accept that he is schizophrenic and the medication stabilises him. Sorry I just had to get it off my mind.
How did any of you handle it when your loved one does not want to accept the fact they are schizophrenic?
I have accepted the fact that my son may not ever completely accept that he has schizophrenia. Some things are denial and some things are anosognosia. We rarely discuss schizophrenia. He takes his medications to help him with his anxiety levels. Has anyone ever discussed with your partner about what the medications are for? Regulating neurotransmitters so that he doesn’t have to much dopamine for example. Maybe if he doesn’t feel like people are trying to fix him he might be more accepting of staying on medications. I try not to react when my son talks about his medications. I tell him to discuss it with his pdoc or nurse. I try to point out behaviors and attitudes rather then talking about schizophrenia. When he doesn’t take them he is more irritable or doesn’t sleep good. I try to compare it to things that me and my husband take to help our bodies function better.
Hi Cleo,
Schizophrenia is a difficult “label” for anyone to accept - and from what I’ve hard from the experts its not necessary for people to accept the label to be successful in treatment and recovery. What is required is an acceptance of the symptoms and problems (e.g. delusions and audio hallucinations, etc.) and benefits of treatments. So - what I have heard experts (psychiatrists and researchers) tell me is that don’t focus on the “label” of schizophrenia and getting them to “accept” their diagnosis (partly because diagnoses frequently change over time - it may be schizophrenia now, it may be bipolar or schizo-affective in the future).
Instead - focus on the problems in their life and the symptoms, and the benefits of treatment. If the treatment is causing problems - then get your partner to discuss other possible medications. The medications cause a lot of bad side effects sometimes - so its not unreasonable to want to change them.
Also - perhaps it would help to understand other’s examples of “denial”: See below:
Thank you for your responses,
I have asked him to ask his nurse or psych doctor to change his medication, as I mentioned before he is lethargic, eats little or a lot on any day. He told me he misses sex even though he can have Viagra. I too try not to mention his condition, and try to be positive yet it is hard when he does not want to acknowledge or he says people are just after him.
tell him for doing so we must first consult with pdoc, and in my case my resistance was because of side effects of meds and not that taking meds was sth boring so talk to pdoc about changing his med.
Well I went with him to get his injections and his nurse said his Pdoc has to make a decision to continue on with treatment and then the Pdoc has to go through a tribunal and state my partner’s case and my partner tells the tribunal how he feels. My partner is currently on INVEGA SUSTENNA injections. Apparently he is meant to be taking Invega Sustenna injections for 8 months and after that time there is a tribunal hearing.
I don’t really understand it myself. Why there is a hearing for him to be on this medication.
It sounds like he is on some sort of ordered treatment possibly due to being non-compliant with oral medications. Did something happen in the past when they point him on injection?
Hi Barbie,
The first time he went to an mental health hospital, he caused a siege after he went into violent psychosis with his parents. It took Police eight hours to get him away from the property. With myself weeks before he was forced to go back to a different mental health hospital with better facilities, he was also in deep ranting psychosis were he wanted to kill us both by ramming the car into a tree saying there was no point in us living anymore. Yes he was driving, I had managed to talk him out of it and I left him telling him that he needs treatment.
I went to the doctor told him what happened. I also called the Mental health hotline which he is registered and told them what happened. So the doctor had a fair idea what to expect if my partner came to his office. During that time I kept an eye on his state through Facebook and he was writing disturbing messages.
The day he went to the doctors office apparently he was wanting to hurt himself and kill someone. So he was taken by police to the better mental health hospital and stayed for two months.
He was on tablets, but moved on to Invega Sustenna injections.
He is so much better and stable. It’s almost a miracle. The thing is my parents and certain family members keep voicing their concerns about trusting him. Which is rightly so but my Partner has been on meds for six months. I am to afraid to tell my parents that my partner and I planning on a weekend holiday. Because my mother will just fret. To the point I will fill discouraged to go.
I have been with my partner for nearly 10 years, and now it’s like we are trying to get to know each other again. My partner is trying so hard to show he is stable.
My son was told during his last admission that if he returned within a short period of time that he would be put on injection. I’m guessing from that that it would be against his will and for a period of time that would be decided by a mental health board. Based on my son’s notes I think he was on this previously and had to make them believe that he would be orally medication compliant to come off the injection. Until recently he hasn’t been med compliant for any length of time.
It can be amazing how well the meds work and hard when the person doesn’t see what we see.
Trust is a hard one. I don’t trust addiction and I don’t trust sz. As long as my son is being controlled by either one of these I will question his motivations. He will lie to my face about drugs and alcohol without even blinking. I accept that just as he accepts me searching his room for these things to throw them out. The last time he saved me the search and handed me the alcohol. One day he will have a partner, I hope, and she will be in your shoes. I would say take your weekend vacation. You will not know if you don’t try and even if it doesn’t work out you will have tried. I’m guessing your family members concerns are coming from a place of love so maybe do your best to reassure them that you are aware of the possibilities and willing to take the risk. 10 years, good for you.
Good way to handle it, it seems you both thought this through thoroughly and take his feelings very serious!