William Evans10
Active Member
62 messages
joined Oct 2012
Good day!
I am seeking some advice and perhaps a few perspectives...
I have posted here before... My mother-in-law is 47 years old and suffers from schizoaffective disorder (F25). She was originally diagnosed at age 25, but from what I have gathered through our conversations, she began feeling "different" as early as age 15—withdrawing into her room, isolating herself, listening to records constantly, avoiding social circles, and preferring to exist entirely within her own world. It seemed to be what suited her best at the time. As a child, she experienced a profound trauma; when she was 8, she lost her younger sister in a tragic accident involving a lightning strike hitting the television, which caused a fire. She and her mother discovered the deceased child in the room, an event she says fundamentally altered her life. Furthermore, there is a family history; her grandmother suffered from schizophrenia or a similar psychiatric condition, though we never had a formal diagnosis or treatment for her, and she struggled significantly with alcoholism. My husband, her son, is now 27 and has not developed the illness. In any case, I am rambling—let me get to the point. My mother-in-law was never adequately treated, whether due to a lack of awareness, education, or perhaps her own denial; regardless, that is in the past. What matters to me is the future. I have dedicated myself entirely to her care and her condition. She was on Zyprexa and Faverin for a period, but they didn't seem to work for her. For about a month now, she has been taking a combination of Olandix and Zyprexa. However, I see absolutely no improvement... On the contrary, she is sinking deeper. She has been in a state of depression for three or four months now; she has lost weight, spends all her time in bed watching TV or simply lying in silence, smokes heavily, and lacks any motivation whatsoever. My husband and I are struggling immensely just to establish basic communication with her. Her condition has deteriorated drastically over the last year. Previously, even though she was ill, she would go out among people, grab coffee with us, or attend church, but now, nothing. The only thing keeping her tethered is her job; her workplace is specifically accommodated for her needs, and since she has worked there for nearly 30 years in a non-frontline capacity, I cannot let her resign. In the past, she used to have episodes where she would argue, yell, or act out aggressively in the neighborhood; those outbursts would last about two weeks and then pass. I am not saying she was "better" then than she is now, but at least she had some contact with the outside world. Her last such episode was six months ago, after which there was only silence. We took her to the psychiatrist, she started her medication regimen strictly, and while she had side effects initially, they subsided after two months. But then—boom—depression, apathy, and severe lack of concentration. We changed the medication, but still nothing. She has been in a constant state of psychosis for three or four months. According to her, she isn't experiencing hallucinations, neither auditory nor visual. But I am terrified for her, fearing she might completely "break." If anyone has any advice or insight, I would be profoundly grateful.
Please forgive me once again for such a long post, but both my husband and I are truly desperate. We want to know how to help her and pull her out of this depression, because we can see how devastatingly it is affecting her state. Our appointment with the psychiatrist is scheduled three weeks out. Last time we were there, the doctor said we needed to wait and see if the pills would take effect. But I fear that, second by second, she is losing the battle. Perhaps her medication needs to be increased...? I simply do not know.
Thank you in advance. To all those suffering and their families, I send my full support... Best regards.
