4 posts shown.
Eric Gray2 said:That is incredibly tough. Honestly, it’s more likely that they’ll end up needing to go through another round of—maybe even involuntary?—hospitalization. The real kicker with psychosis and schizophrenia is that once the person starts feeling better (thanks to the meds), they genuinely believe they don't need them anymore—because, well, they feel fine—and they just can't wrap their head around the fact that they feel good *because* of the medication. From there, the idea of taking meds actually becomes part of the symptoms themselves—they start thinking they're being poisoned or something similar. I’d suggest reaching out to their psychiatrist to see what options are available right now.
edit: yeah, or even their primary care doctor back home.
edit2: Long-term, it would definitely be a good idea to find a steady support group or some kind of community organization—somewhere they can engage with people facing similar diagnoses to help motivate one another to stick to their treatment plan. But that’s really an option for once they’ve moved past the acute phase.
In that case, I’ll give his psychiatrist a call to see if there's any way forward, even though I've already been told to try talking it out or somehow suggesting he check into the ward (you know how it is)...
The first time around, he totally shut down the idea of seeing a counselor—he just wouldn't accept the diagnosis at all. He wasn't ready to face the reality that everything he had been doing was just part of the delusion...
Just a heads up, I actually live in a different city, so there's no way we can be hovering over him every single day to watch his every move...
Olivia Smith2 said:Besides the oral medications, is he receiving any injections?
Try any way you can to get that person to see a psychiatrist so they can administer an injection—that way, the choice isn't left up to him. You absolutely have to go to a doctor, because a psychotic disorder won't just resolve itself; if anything, things will only escalate.
No, I'm fully aware this isn't going to heal on its own, which is exactly why I'm feeling so desperate. I've been trying to talk them into seeing a psychiatrist and taking their meds for two weeks now. I even tried sneaking medication into their drink just hoping maybe something would click and they'd snap out of it, but nothing works... talking just doesn't help at all.
When they were hospitalized, I asked the doctor about those injections, but they said it wasn't the right move for him. I have no idea why... just oral medications for now...
Hey everyone,
A close loved one was hospitalized back in October, and after about a month, they were finally discharged with a prescription. Everything seemed to be going great at first—the meds pretty much wiped out all the symptoms (we're talking paranoia, auditory hallucinations, feeling like people are plotting against them, or thinking someone is breaking into the house when nobody is there, etc.). But over the last month, they've been stopping the medication, and now all those symptoms are rushing right back. They’re flat-out refusing to take anything now. They won't really say why they stopped, but from what I can gather, they just feel "happier" without them, or maybe they felt too drowsy and unmotivated while on them. I've tried talking, but nothing seems to work. They're convinced everyone is out to get them... honestly, I'm lost. What should I do? How can I help convince them to get back on their meds? If this keeps up, they're going to lose their job—they don't even want to take medical leave, they just want to quit because they think they're fine and everyone at work is just being shady. Does anyone know if there's any way to reach someone in this state and get them to start their treatment again???