Paranoid Schizophrenia

Replies

By valley girl

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Sat 21 Jul 2007 13:52

My 33 year old son suffers from this terrible illness.I have cared for him with this for 9 years but he is now trying to live an independant life.He is in a sort of care home/hostel at the moment where he gets support as we are getting older and are worried that when we have gone he will be unable to cope on his own.
It is indeed a very cruel illness and he has in the past many times turned against the people who really adore him, believing us to be in some kind of conspiracy against him.I have been accused of poisoning him and even changing words in books and documents.It is like a living nightmare at times and my heart has been broken so many times.
I too suffer from depression and have taken tablets for years.I sometimes think it would easier if people
realised it is an illness like any other ,only it affects a part of the body no one can see.For that reason too some people think it is the carer who is imagining things as the ill person can look so normal and as in my son`s case be so intelligent.

By luke

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Sat 21 Jul 2007 23:57

thank you SO much for posting Valley girl. Are you anywhere in wales, I recent went to snowdownia if that is anywhere near you.

You are right how people judge the carer! gosh so right.

IN my case people just assume I lack get up and go myself, not realising i have been comforting someone ALL night who is so scared they can't even breath well enough.

The worse thing is that my other half is American and his care falls under American law whch both denies me knowledge ,and equally doesn't reocgnise our marriage. It is so awful and he has been known to vanish for up to 21 days at a time!

I am so pleased your son has found somewhere. Does he like it? My husband's doctor is a massive believer in nutrition ( although this is difficult when I can't be with him )

You are lucky you get to see your son x Everytime I try to get near my other half his 'thinky' as we have taken to calling it will overpower him and by his description he is being dragged away. To sometimes wake up not knowing what happened.

Anyway sorry to moan just so nice to meet someone who has sometinhg similar.

Do you know of any good groups I could talk to. Can you imagine what a nightmare tihngs are in trying to get help because he literally doesnt live with me, even though on the phone 24/7 when not with docotr, and this is WORSE for me, not better x

By valley girl

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Sun 22 Jul 2007 23:48

Are you online at the moment Sunday 23.47 .If so come over to the chat room for a chat.

By valley girl

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Sun 22 Jul 2007 23:51

Luke ,Why is your marriage not recognised?
If your partner is living in UK why is his care under American law?My son has also been known to vanish for weeks on end,although thankfully that has not happened for a long time now.

By luke

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Mon 23 Jul 2007 01:17

Because it is the discretion of his doctor who is over here with him, to inform me of developments. It is seriously that naive! so yes obviously being in this country it would be different, but isn.t, horrific isnt it

But he trusts this guy and I don't wish to rupture that, even though i've not seen him since MAY last year, so I should be prettymuch hating this guy.

Thanks for the invite I will try and get along

By Lucy

Re: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Wed 25 Jul 2007 15:45

Hi there, I've just found this site. I've been caring for my husband for 4 years now. The first 18 months were a living nightmare. He's Indonesian and muslim so felt the need to place A4 photocopies of the Quran all over the house. I didn't see the carpets for over a year. These photocopies drove me nuts - they were everywhere. In the fridge, in my pillow case, under the bed, all over the carpets, in my clothes ... and I wasn't allowed to move them. Then he felt the need to use cocktail sticks to fight off the demons - except he put them in the bed (upright) and in the sofa seats (upright) so when you sat down you got stabbed by them. Plus we had the usual poisoning thing where he would say he was going to die within the next 5 minutes or after he'd finished that cigarette and the nightime hallucinations and/or staying up all night with all the lights burning so I couldn't get any sleep. He used to accuse me of having affairs too (which I certainly wasn't). It really was quite a bad time for us.

But, fortunately, we've got passed that stage. He's taking his medication regularly (although he does forget sometimes - and I forget too), although that too took a time to sort out getting the right tablets and persuading him he needed to take them. His psychiatrist reckons he's about halfway there now and we lead a reasonably normal life. All the weird behaviour has stopped although he does have his bad days occasionally where he doesn't really hear me when I'm speaking to him. But we are left with terrible laziness on his part where he doesn't really want to do anything ... and I'm under pressure from the doc to get him to do something and give him "a more structured day" ... which is nigh-on impossible when he won't do anything ... and he also won't go anywhere or do anything without me ... but at least the weird stuff has stopped.

It has taken its toll on me though ... I now take more medication than he does!

From reading your entries it seems like you're still all living the nightmare. I think we've been very lucky in having lots of support and understanding from friends and family, plus the psychiatrist has put my husband on some very expensive tablets which the Health Authority don't really want to pay for but the doc is sticking to her guns thankfully. Plus that fact that my husband is Indonesian and living over here - he didn't really know anyone or anywhere well enough to run away to when he was really ill ... which I am so very thankful for.

All I can do is wish you all luck and keep going.