My son is in another world with voices but happy? Do we go to hospital? He talks out loud to them. Do I accept or hope for better and get help?
Is he taking his medication as prescribed (if at all)?
How is his other functioning?
There were times I was absorbed into my voices too… but they were being passive and funny… and I could still get moving and dressed and go out and get distracted away from the conversation in my head. I could still interact and sort of keep a corner in this world. So my parents wouldn’t take me in for that.
they would call the doc and get some advice on should they up the med or not.
But if I was frozen or fearful unable to reason or move or see any logic and getting agitated and going through repetitive motion or starting to “loop” as in doing the same motion over and over and over and over… with out being able to stop…
then they would take me in and try and get me some help.
Yes the doctor we go to at home says this is ok? I want to believe we can do better. Am I in denial?He stays in room talking.
He constantly talks to voices. He will pace.
Has he been involuntarily admitted in the past? It’s hard to know when. With my son I have watched him decompress or fall apart until he was so far in his own head that he could not hold it together in front of professionals. It wasn’t so much that the voices were constant but that he was unable to even keep himself hydrated and there were physical signs of it. So at this point he was a danger to himself. I’m not sure if voices alone would cause medical staff to hold him. If you have taken him to the hospital in the past then you may have a better understanding of how they will react.
He admitted himself last time. Now he can’t answer questions right. He cannot hear me. he don’t eat much.
Do you know if he’s taking his prescribed meds? Is he losing weight? Did he JUST get put on new meds and discharged (it might take a bit before they are working really well). Does he have a history of self harm, self neglect or suicidal behaviors?
He is losing weight
He has been on medication 2 months. Don’ t work
I feel like I have lost him to Alzheimer’s disease. He is in another world. I want to do what I can. This is hell. I want the best for him
If he can’t take care of himself, or allow you to take care of him, I’d say let the Dr’s know he is going downhill (losing weight and lost in his inner world) and you would like this under control before he gets too far gone.
The Dr should at least try a different med on him, and if he don’t seem interested and thinks it’s really ok, don’t give up.
You know him best, and he shouldn’t have to completely disintegrate before they help him.
The farther in my my world I get the harder it is to leave it, every day in it adds another brick to the wall barricading me from reality.
I am so sorry for what you and your son are going through. Trust your gut! He needs an advocate. How old is he?
ETA: This disease, does not have to be degenerative like Alzmrs, people with sz can get better. Your son can improve!
Usually I read the responses before I input any message to the poster but this time I was moved to directly come over. Does he take his medicine if he has ever been prescribed any? Has he been hospitalised before for the same reason? I don’t think it is the matter of hoping at these cases that count but the matter of expert judgement that does. It is not a good sign that he responds to the voices out loud and I strongly think he should see a doctor immediately and maybe get hospitalised. It is where hope can come from only, believe me I have had it the hard way there are no whatsoever alternatives to medical intervention to end the trauma. Good luck and keep us informed
He takes ability. He was on invega and zyprexia doing great. The doctor changed it to invega and lutuda. The beginning of hell. He asked to go to the hospital. I asked the doctor not to use risperdal because he has spiritual warfare in head on it . Doc gives anyway. When I get home he starts spiritual warfare in head. Doc put on ability he’s happy but not with us
He talks to voices all day in room. He has to stay with my mother while I work 2 hours away. Him talking to self is not good for77 year old woman
Not at all I can tell. It is mostly common that hallucinations disappear with medication but in your son’s case it seems different. Maybe try a big shot Dr. They became big shots as they earned it most of the times. If he is on the right medicine you won’t notice a thing and can sometimes lead a very normal life. Just hang in there and search for a better doc or escalate his situation to the current one he should tell whether to hospitalise or not. Sorry my prayers are with you.
I agree with others that if he is not able to perform self-help skills, is losing weight, is not able to answer questions, and especially if he is willing to go to the hospital himself, that another admission might be wise. Meds definitely don’t seem to be doing what they are supposed to do, and continued psychosis just doesn’t seem to be the best thing for anyone.
My son was finally switched to Geodon, and is doing fairly well. Abilify didn’t do anything for him. My son still has voices that he responds to, but it is usually only for a short period in the day. Otherwise he may be delusional, but can function.
I heard voices on Geodon, actually I didn’t hear them until I was put on it. So now I highly doubt its efficacy at least for me. It made me extremely paranoid too. I wasn’t open to medication so that was also a part of it. But I was switched to Abilify and returned to normal. It’s only been 2 months, so getting him into therapy while continuing Abilify should do wonders. It takes about 4-6 months to see lasting improvement. I’ve been on it for 10 years almost, and never had any side effects other than slowed reactions, and that may be due to illness.
Have you tried asking him what they’re saying, or accepting it and then seeing if he wants to take a walk or go to lunch? It helps over time, every little bit of positivity increases improvement. It’s not about being deluded that everything’s fine, but trying to bring more sunshine and hope for someone struggling with this. The more he can talk to friends or socialize the better he will be and feel. Some people are introverts and like to spend time alone, but it’s not healthy 24/7 and feeling disconnected is prob the worst thing for someone with schizophrenia.
Starry, not sure if the question you posted was to me or not, but, I am answering - I don’t get a specific answer to a question of what the voices are saying, and in fact usually get a denial that he is hearing voices at all, but I get the general idea from his responses to them. They tend to put him down, and challenge him about things. I have gotten much better at trying to gently move my son past the things when he is upset by fixing a snack, taking a walk together, or directing his attention to one of our pets or anything else mundane and non-challenging. I suggest this as a simple tactic for anyone to try.
I’m so glad you are doing well on the Abilify - which speaks to the mystery of this illness - a med that works well for one person can be ineffective for another.