I ageww@hopeforus. Never give up hope. Although this illness is not easy, for the person or the family, there are plenty of resources. Even if there is not recovery, there is management of symptoms. Always stay hopeful.
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Just a heads up, many of our family members who follow politics will be stressed over US Election Day tomorrow.
@hope
Any chance the elections will result in better support for those DXād Sz / SzA and their families?
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Sadly I suspect not- if Americans really understood severe mental illnesses it would be a different story. How we keep failing to get the word out, I donāt know.
I must say I do see a lot of hope in the younger generations. It seems to me they are wanting to be more accepting of everyone and everything. They seem to want to accept and help everyone. I think that will include our family members.
Yeah, Iām sure my ex will have a hard time tomorrow 
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@wreklus and @hope We have a ballot issue that will hopefully fund a new section of the jail for alternative sentencing and offender management programs and inmate services. I believe it will help people who hare having issues. I hope it passes.
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And the elections are right after a full moon, Halloween and time change.
I wish they would re-fund that housing your son used as well.
@hope I know. That was a godsend for us. My sons Psych Doc is very upset about it. That transition house took medicaid. The other option is they go home or back to the streets too soon.
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We all should be joining NAMI and other advocacy groups such as Treatment Advocacy Center and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Some of these keep me posted on upcoming legislation to be voted on and make it very easy for me to write my congress persons about how I would like them to vote on the issue at hand.
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It isnāt that we fail to get the word out, it is that ānormalā people/families donāt want to hear. Even at NAMI the ālesserā mental illnesses of depression or anxiety are often the focus of the discussion groups. It is hard for everyone to face the fears of psychosis unless a person is FORCED to. It is hard to face something that canāt be cured and lasts a long, long time from youth to senior citizenship. I used to be one of those ānormalā people who disrespected talk of mental illness in others, and thought it was just a failure to āsnap out of itā. Oh gosh, yes I was one of āthoseā who didnāt want to hear.
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I had absolutely no idea what schizophrenia really meant in a personās life. My only reference point was that after school special movie - from so many years ago- that had a young woman starting college who suddenly started hearing voices yelling at her.
Now THAT I would have recognized. No way to see it as it slips in and changes our family members so very gradually over a period of years. Voices start an average of 7 years āinā.
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I donāt remember seeing that after school special, but I might try to search for it online.
For us, there was definitely a delay in the whole hearing voices thing. Our son just started talking about his voices talking to him and bossing him around about 4 months ago, yet heās been sick for about two and a half years, not including the prodrome. The voices make him really really miserable at times. Early on, he just talked about hearing someone call his name and thatās it.
Unfortunately, heās been on Invega Sustenna for over a year. Go figure. Really bad luck I guess.
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I havent posted in a while. Today I take my wife for her doctor appointment. Itās been months of nothing working and in the process they have made her blood pressure unstable. So shes been off meds for 2 months.
The last week has been a total nose drive with a trip to the ER, which I still dont get why they sent her home, the cops getting called cause she was hearing noises all over the house and people yelling at her, and shes hearing more and more people telling her all sorts of horrible things.
She probably wont be coming home from todayās appointment she said she would go into the hospital, but I suspect that choice has been made for her as her doctor was called by the cops. Then they called me to find out what was going on.
I know she needs help. I want her at home. I dont see another way forward. Shes never been hospitalized for this before, I hope she isnt in for long. I really donāt know what to expect and I worry most about our son (my step son) who has had to endure being taken away from her a couple of times because of her past substance issues. Shes been clean for years now. She is his only biological parent as his father died when he was 3. Hes been through a lot in his 9 years and now shes gonna be gone again.
This has been so hard on all of us. I am worried about the lasting damage this is going to do to all of us.
So its definitely a downer of a day.
I havenāt been able to find it yet. If I could just remember the actressās name - she had real thick brown hair. She was in a lot of tv stuff back then. The only one I can find under the topic search is about a dad with scz. I found a full listing of them but some of them just say the name of the movie without a description. - okay just tried again and found it not an abc after school special - a made for tv movie from 1987 āStrange Voicesā. I donāt remember the ending - it might wrap up with a happily ever after - prepare yourself accordingly.
We never really get the straight story on the meds do we? Our family members react so differently. The med might have slowed down the progression for your son or may be keeping the voices somewhat in check - there isnāt any way to measure.
Just found another one called āPromiseā havenāt seen this one.
Hello Enehamkin,
We are all part of the downer club here. I have an odd sense of humor, itās how I deal.
You are doing the right thing. Your wife needs professional care, we have all been where you are, just reassuring you, youāre doing the right thing.
We welcome your thoughts, may we bring you a little comfort, knowing you are not alone.
My sons name is Lou, he is currently in a forensic state hospital, you can read my early posts if you want.
If it wasnāt for this site, I would be lost.
Take care AnnieNorCal
Well after her docs gave me the impression they were gonna admit her they sent her home. She is spiraling out of control so now what? She has an appointment again next week. I guess Iāll ride it out if I can till then and tell them they need to put her in unless something changes dramatically for the better. So lost now. I know if she flips out and calls the cops or EMS they will pink slip her no matter what.
Please remember that I am just a parent, not a professional. Research these suggestions before acting upon them.
I live in california, so not sure what the laws are where you live. You can start a process of involuntary commitment through the court system but it takes time and documents from your physician.
Remember the safety of your family first.
You can leave until she cools down.
If you are in danger or being threatened by your wife, call the police and tell them you are afraid for the safety of your household. They should come out. The police can help get your wife into the system by holding her on a 51/50 involuntary hold 72 hours and then a judge will proceed with a court ordered evaluation. But this could backfire and make things worse. If you can document by video any violent actions or record her verbally, it will help prove your wife is behaving irradically.
This is a very hard way to get help and your wife will be very angry with you and probably not speak to you.
It could back fire. It is so hard to get help before things go really bad.
Be safe, take care AnnieNorCal
Just watched Strange Voices and jeez, it may have been made in 1987, but it was pretty damn accurate in portraying what we go through when this illness hits one of our own. Somebody did their research.
There was sooo much in the movie that we personally have witnessed or experienced, and so much that Iāve read others on this forum have witnessed or experienced. The script pretty much touched on every single problem and fear and worry and disappointment thatās associated with this horrible illness.
It wasnāt a āhappy endingā. It was a semi-realistic and āweāre in it for the long run because we have no choiceā ending.
I canāt believe this illness hasnāt been cured yet. I canāt believe this illness has been shattering families and destroying or severely altering futures for so long.
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