My son (24) has schizophrenia

[PeppiPatty]

Hi @greenpea

how are you ?

and everyone else ? 

@Libra @Barbara @Dadcaringalone @Fatherofson ??

[greenpea]

@PeppiPatty Hi PeppiPatty I am good thanks 😄 very busy atm which is great as I don't spend too much time thinking about things.  Medication is working well, same with therapies and kidults are doing well touch wood everything is fine.:)

How are you going? I hope things are going better than okay for you. Love greenpea xxx

[PeppiPatty]

Dear @greenpea

Okay....few little messes here.I finished paying off my computer and the next week,last week,Ispilt a cuppa coffee on it........c'est la Vie....

My support worker is coming anytime now...I bought us both a really yummy honey,yogurt and mango smoothie...........

I'm learning how to wind down.

How are the children @greenpea ? 

PeppiPatty

[greenpea]

@PeppiPatty Sorry to hear about your computer reminds me of when I was manic and I poured a glass of water all over my son2's keyboard because I thought he was looking at stuff he shouldn't...and that the computer was bugged lol .... anyways daughter is in hospital and is doing well will be there I think for another week.  Son2 is I think doing ok .... we (me and his psychiatrist) are going to try to change his meds as they are really putting on the weight which is not a good thing. 

Your yoghurt smoothie sounds delicious 🙂

[Raine]

---

@Barbara wrote:

This is my first post but i am desperate. My son J. (24) has been very unwell for years and diagnosed with all sorts of disorders (C-PTSC, OCD, severe Anxiety, eating disorder, etc) but it he has completely deteriorated last year and recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. he has become very violent, abusive, obsessive compulsive, messy and unhygenic, etc the list could go on for ever... I have to live in fear every day waiting for the next episode to happen (usually on a daily basis). it is not safe for my other 2 children to live with us so we have to keep them apart which is even more heart breaking and very difficult to manage (my daughter is meant to be doing her HSC this year, is struggling hugely to focus and sleep, she also suffers from depression).

J. goes completely 'nuts' when hearing car noise, aeroplanes, machine noise as sensory overload seems to be the prevelant symtom and noise triggers most episodes. living in the city under the flight path is horrendous for him so we have to move to the country and leave the other kids behind. J. did so well at school and Uni, all his potential and future is lost and often i dont see any hope. The pain and exhaustion i am feeling is beyond words !!!! he refuses medical intervention (and meds) as previous doctor visits and hospital stays were more traumatic than were of any help. i am in so much despair seeing him deteriorate and losing his sanity on a regular basis (he talks and walks like a complete 'drunk', behaves totally irrational and violent) he has terrible sleep and constantly sais he feels like he is dying. the cries a lot out of despair and pain, he does not enjoy anything, seems like a 'vegetable', has no friends.

J. has too much anxiety to see another doctor, it is a vicious circle we dont seem to come out of. i had to call an ambulance because he was getting so bad. When they came he suddenly pretended to be 'normal' and they did not take him. he sais if he has to go to a public hospital it would be the end of him due to more trauma (he had a very traumatic childhood therefore i can not bring myself to commiting him to a public hospital involutarily as it would add to all his traumas so we are stuck) i am waiting for him to come to the point that he voluntarily goes to a private clinic but he is adoment he will not do that.

often i just want to curl up in bed and never wake up. the other 2 kids are the only reason i am still here. it is too much to cope with and all my friends have deserted me. i am too exhausted to make new friends or do anything for myself. i just try and get through each day but so often feel like giving up. i am very scared of the future.

my heart goes out to everyone who cares for a mentally ill person, especially to mothers because i blieve they suffer the most watching their loved one! there is so little help out there and i wish we could all get together and talk, cry, exchange experiences, laugh a little. but i feel we are all very lonely, battling by ourselves, feeling helpless against something we can't control. it is heart breaking !! we just need a glimpse of hope and encouragement to get strenght to keep going... 

---

Dear Barbara my heart goes out to, you brave caring mum. My husband has late onset schizophrenia, he was diagnosed at 50 and is now 72. It is so sad and a feeling of hopelessness when the one you love has detoriated in every way. He is on medication so I have no behavioural issues but I have lost my husband. He has chronic back pain but he says the devil sends it to him and God will take it away. No one can help him. He is also a chain smoker. Anxiety, stress, tiredness and sadness are my companions. Sometimes I think I cannot cope any longer, death, either him or me sounds ok to me. I do have outlets, social outings etc. but I can feel good for a while but generally I fall back to being my usual sad self. I am broken-hearted. 

Dear Barbara your life sounds so hard, worse than mine, when George was first diagnosed, I with the help of my son and his brother tricked him into staying in a private mental hospital. Somehow you have to get your son there, it’s your only hope. All my love @Raine

[Dadcaringalone]

@Barbara@Raine@greenpea

Dear Barbara, I really feel for you! I have been there with my son when he had undiagnosed Schizophrenia, its an absolutely terrible ride for the major carer, you and the family. I had my son in a very bad way for about 5 years until things got better when we got him into hospital. I would like to echo the words of Raine, you really need to get your son to hopsital by whatever method you use. I have also learnt through my son and his medical team that the more pyschotic episodes he has the more he lives in another reality and the worse his schichizophrenia gets! My son was really really sick before I got him to face up to his illness and for the family it was an absolute nightmare because they can be unbelivably manupulative. We had a really bad run in with the Police. My poor daughter, like yours was going her HSC last year and was suicidal when my son was similar to your son. When someone who you really cares about has such an illness it can be terribly for those caring for them because they can be almost impossible to care for and its important that you take care of yourself. You need to have breaks now and then to keep strong. I have copied you into greenpea who is great and she also has a son with schizophrenia. I am interested how you and your son managed to come up with this diagnosis without seeing doctors. If you need support you will be able to get support for yourself and son from a range of community organisations. I do not know where you are in Australia but I was able to find it in Sydney.  I want to try and help you see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. My son now is on the right medication for his specific needs and he is working and my daughter is now at univerisity in a great place with a boy friend. It feels like you are alone when you are dealing with this type of inpossible situation but things will get better Barbara. There are many people in this forum who will be able to support you here. Stay strong and keep truckin, things will get better.

[greenpea]

@Barbara@Dadcaringalone@Raine Hi to everyone here (thank you for tagging me in Dadcaringalone always good to hear from yourself :)). Dear Barbara so sorry to hear you are going though all this pain with your son. I like you have a son with schizophrenia amongst other disorders who now is fortunately on the right medications and has recovered much of his old self after many years of family pain and torment.

Barbara like the others have said you must somehow get your son into hospital to be correctly diagnosed and medicated. This should take some time and they must be made aware that he likes to pretend everything is alright (although I am pretty sure they could pick that up).

Do you have a gp that your son trusts? That would be a great start. Someone he can go to to talk with when he is feeling unwell. Move on from there. Be prepared this could take time.

It is most important that you look after yourself. I see a psychologist and a psychiatrist and we are working on how to get my life together after some very traumatic experiences with my son. I cannot reiterrate enough that you must take care of yourself for you and your children.

I will be around over the Christmas break so if you want to talk just tag me using the @infront of my name.

Look after yourself Barbara and get that son to hospital. greenpea xxxx

[Libra]

Hi @Barbara,

I know how hard it is!!! My son just turned 30, and until the last few weeks has been doing fairly well. I saw him this afternoon and he was telling me that he is on a constant "relay" and that he hears all the voices 24/7, saying that he  is owed millions of dollars if he only goes to the Dr. to get the answers he needs. He refuses to see anyother Dr. except for his childhood Dr.

We went through all the violence a few years back, and I still have an AVO out, he now lives in a share house, which is horrible for him. We are trying to get social housing for him, but that can take years.

He also thinks that the medication he is given can't work...he was in hospital for 2 months (finally after much pleading from myself and police), and is now on fortnightly injections and a sedative. He is also still on a community treatment order, which makes it legal so he takes  his meds.

His dad passed away when he was 15, and I think he didn't cope as well as his older brother and sister, got into alcohol and drugs...

The psychiatrist can't tell me if it was the drugs that affected  his brain or it was just something that happened.

He got into that digusting drug Ice, and I believe that is what happened, and after seeing him today, I asked if he had any illegal drugs, and he said, they are the only thing that stops the voices. He has been to jail too, and told me today that he will go back if he does something awful to someone...

So now I'm sitting here and worrying myself sick about him, so I understand your pain. 

I hope you can find a little peace here, I'll be thinking of you xo

Cheers Libra.

Thanks for 

[Shaz51]

afternoon @Libra, @Barbara, @Dadcaringalone, @Raine, @greenpea

sending you all tender hugs