Posts by wearysailor112

So, from what I’ve been digging into, they call it "acute schizophrenia" when it hits in episodes—you know, instead of being a constant, non-stop thing. Apparently, people living with schizophrenia can't really be "cured," at least not in the way most people think, but they can manage to keep those episodes from happening. So, according to the textbooks, even if someone is technically dealing with this for life, if it shows up in bursts, it’s labeled acute... even if those bursts happen every few months. Seems like a pretty weird way to define it, if you ask me... but that's just how they name it, I guess...
Amy Hughes, 28 here. It feels like the way they just hammer them with meds is seen as the only immediate fix... They mostly only step in like that when someone is in full-blown psychosis and becomes a danger to themselves or everyone else around them... usually after they've already been strapped into a straitjacket. I'm sure those methods aren't exactly humane, but the staff there is responsible for everyone in the facility, including our loved ones. I watched my brother looking like he could barely even speak, just drooling, totally unaware of anything... and seeing the scratches and bruises on his arms... man, that isn't easy to watch at all... but at the end of the day, he's still alive because they stepped in to save him when we couldn't... even if it was in such a brutal way. We're still holding onto hope, though... hoping he gets a real chance to actually start LIVING his life as normally as possible

So, that’s basically one of the classic ways this specific type of schizophrenia shows up... some studies actually suggest that only about 10% of people dealing with schizophrenia are even a danger to those around them. It doesn't mean someone needs to be tossed straight into a psych ward immediately, but getting ahead of it—like, seeing a psychiatrist sooner rather than later—is huge. If you just sit on it and do nothing, things tend to spiral... and eventually, you hit that point where hospitalization becomes unavoidable. Either way, dragging your feet on getting help just makes the whole recovery process take way longer than it should...

Basically just copying and pasting my previous post here too...
"From what I can tell, there are plenty of you with more experience than me... so I'm looking for some advice...
How do you convince the rest of the family—and the patient themselves—that medication is actually necessary? Like, how do you prove that pharmacotherapy actually works after they've lived with a diagnosis for 10 years?
It's my brother I'm dealing with, but my whole family is struggling to accept it. It’s not even necessarily the diagnosis itself, but more about how they define schizophrenia and the whole idea of treating it.
Things have been escalating again lately... we've had outbursts at home, and the tension has been building for a week straight. We're all just sitting there waiting for the next explosion.
I feel like I'm losing my mind because I don't know how to explain the reality of this to them, and honestly, my nerves are shot from the constant aggression and just waiting for the worst to happen.
I'm seriously at a loss for words... I'm beyond desperate at this point!
Please, if anyone has advice—for families or for the patients themselves—I need it!"
Since I posted that last time, we've already gone through two full episodes. During the first one, Mom insisted she wouldn't let him go to the hospital, so he didn't see a doctor at all. For a few days after that, he seemed totally fine... he even went out for coffee with friends... until everything started spiraling again. It was this slow build of aggressive behavior until he finally snapped, trashed half the apartment, threw stuff out the window, and threatened to throw both himself and our parents right out of it. He was even demanding self-mutilation... and he physically attacked both of my parents during the chaos.
This time, we had to call 911 and the police (because the paramedics wouldn't come without backup since he was being so violent). He ended up being hospitalized. The worst part is that Mom still thinks doctors are useless and that all they do is push pills without understanding anything. She's convinced his issues stem from her not giving him enough love when he was a toddler because she was stressed and depressed back then. She thinks anyone who disagrees is just projecting their own childhood trauma onto the situation. Lately, I'm starting to wonder if she's hitting a breaking point herself... maybe she's having a psychotic break too... or maybe it's already happening?! 😕
If anyone knows a good psychiatrist or a support group, please let me know!

Looks like there are quite a few of you here who have been dealing with this for a long time... so I'm really hoping for some advice...
How do you actually convince the rest of the family—and the patient themselves—that medication is non-negotiable? Like, how do you prove that pharmacotherapy actually works when they just won't see it?
It’s my brother, but honestly, everyone in the house is struggling to accept it. It isn't even just about the diagnosis itself, it's more about how they define schizophrenia and the whole idea of treating it...
Things have been blowing up around the house again lately. We've been living in this heavy, tense atmosphere for a week now, just constantly waiting for things to escalate...
I feel like I'm losing my mind at this point. I don't know how else to explain it to them, and my nerves are just shot from the constant aggression and that feeling of always waiting for the worst to happen...
I'm seriously at a loss for words... I'm beyond desperate...
Please, if anyone from other families or even those living through it can help...