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Thread: What it's like to raise a son with schizophrenia

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    Adelaide's Avatar tPF Moderator
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    What it's like to raise a son with schizophrenia

    Will you walk me through the diagnosis process with Nick? Because it sounds like it was pretty complicated to actually get there.


    It’s very hard in the best of circumstances to get to a good diagnosis and especially with mental illnesses. Also, once you veer into ones like schizophrenia and bipolar, because schizophrenia is a diagnosis of criteria. It’s not like you do a blood test and OK, this is what he has. So they just check off enough boxes and if he exhibits certain behaviors, then that’s what they call it. And it’s basically that with all the mental illnesses.

    The thing that I always say is if you made the list of red flags for serious mental illness and you made the list of normal teenage behavior, you would have virtually the same list. They’re all mercurial and hostile and irrational and ... I would look at him and I would look at his friends and I was like, “OK, they’re all nuts.” You know what I mean? “This too shall pass.”

    But then it didn’t pass with Nick. And with us, the wake-up call was when he cut his wrist and at that point, I could not normalize it anymore. So as far as the path to a diagnosis, it was meandering. First we addressed it as drug abuse and sent him to rehab and a therapist. Then it progressed from there to anxiety and then depression, and this is over a period of years from, say, 16 to 20. Then eventually when he was 18 or almost 19, we got bipolar, but even then they told me, “This is probably not the end of it.”


    Then eventually when he was about 20, they said, “Schizophrenia.”

    What it's like to raise a son with schizophrenia - HuffPost

    This is an interesting article, particularly as it is from the perspective of a parent.

    Many people don't realize how complicated a diagnosis of schizophrenia (or bipolar) is or how difficult it is to manage both the positive and negative symptoms. Most people know someone with a mental illness, and maybe don't always take the time to try and understand it.

    I cannot even imagine being a parent and trying to sort out what is normal, moody teenager and what is affective symptoms or the prodromal period of schizophrenia (proceeds the active phase, where you will see the psychosis).
    FYIWDWYTM

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    Captdon (10-02-2020),Collateral Damage (10-02-2020),Cotton1 (10-02-2020),Dr. Who (10-02-2020),Peter1469 (10-02-2020)

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    I have an uncle that was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic at age 15. His entire life has been hell on him and the family. It's sad. He's beyond "out there ". He is on Pluto.
    I'm yo.
    This my brother yo
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    I once went to a GP and told them I had mental health problems - he gave me a questionnaire to fill out - I filled it out ( I was malingering because at the time I unemployed and I didnt want to have to work and I also wanted some pills to get %$%$ed up on ) - after I filled it out he told me I had bipolar and gave me a script for psychotropic drugs used to treat bipolar. I bought them but I didnt take any. The side effects included symptoms as well as a lot of other %$%$ed up stuff. There is no funding for complicated diagnosis. Maybe if you can pay for it. The objective when it comes to mental health is - give pill to keep person functional/working. I went to another GP and told them I have anger issues and she gave me some really good pills. You just took one when you felt angry. Or wanted to get %$%$ed up. You didnt take them all the time. So what I did then was I told my employment provider guy that makes you look for a job that if he insulted me I would beat him up. And that I have anger issues and if he made me take a job that I was uncomfortable with and I beat someone up there he would be responsible. He told me not to worry and he would work things out. SO I didnt have to look for work then. They normally make you do stuff and its kind of annoying. But yeah he worked it out so I had an exemption. I wasnt on a disability pension ( which is higher than unemployment benefits ) but I didnt have to look for a job or do any annoying job provider stuff.

    I have a friend that has a schizophrenic girlfriend. There is no way in hell she has schizophrenia. She is just a dysfunctional alcoholic. Its because of her that I got the idea to fake schizophrenia. It would be easy - I know it. She doesnt have to work. She is on a disability pension.



    edit - You arent getting on disability pension with bipolar. GP will diagnose most people with 'bipolar' in Australia. Give them bipolar drugs. Most got 'bipolar anger'/'bipolar rage' and beat up wife or something. Remorseful.

    Last edited by TheOneOnly2; 10-02-2020 at 06:04 PM.

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    TheOneOnly2 is the biggest, uinformed ass here. That's on a good day.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Captdon View Post
    TheOneOnly2 is the biggest, uinformed ass here. That's on a good day.
    Off topic personal insults/attacks across many different threads. You are giving me bipolar rage you know.

    Point of mental health services for the poor is to keep them functional/working. By selling them pills from big pharma. I got a bipolar diagnosis by filling in a questionnaire for goodness sake. The GP barely spoke to me - he was busy. I was shocked by how expensive the psychotropic bipolar pills were you know. What a scam. And like I said - possible side effects included bipolar symptoms. Ha.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Adelaide View Post
    What it's like to raise a son with schizophrenia - HuffPost

    This is an interesting article, particularly as it is from the perspective of a parent.

    Many people don't realize how complicated a diagnosis of schizophrenia (or bipolar) is or how difficult it is to manage both the positive and negative symptoms. Most people know someone with a mental illness, and maybe don't always take the time to try and understand it.

    I cannot even imagine being a parent and trying to sort out what is normal, moody teenager and what is affective symptoms or the prodromal period of schizophrenia (proceeds the active phase, where you will see the psychosis).
    In my case when the shrink gave me a bipolar diagnosis he said him and my therapist had been studying my weekly visits for 6 months. On a 1 -10 scale I was presenting with a lot of 1 and 2 lows and 8-9 mania. I was making terribly reckless decisions in mania and basically dysfunctional at a low of 1-2.
    With meds and a minimum of unforeseen variables I can typically stay within a 4-7 range. 6-7 is my best spot.

    I don't have a lot of rage etc. What I do have is a very impatient manner. Especially if I'm in a situation where someone is talking to me or trying to explain something.

    I Have an attorney friend that will start on a story and he wants to give every little detail. My attn span is very short. I hurt his feelings a while back when I suddenly burst out and said "fuk just hit the bottom line and if I need any blanks filled in I'll ask".

    The other day I was on the phone to a black guy. I asked one simple question that could've been answered in 5 seconds. Hell no. Not this guy. He things he's Snoop Dogg and starts in on some ghetto yap. I raised my voice and said " please cut the fukking jive talk. I get it."

    I need to work on that .

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    My history with drugs is short. I only take something if Im dying. My first brush with death was around the age of 30. A kidney stone began whispering in my ear "I am satan" Nothing would make it stop. Laying in a tub of VERY hot water. Finally, my father in law said he had some "kidney stone medicince". A five year old bottle of demerol. Tiny little pills. I took 3 of them one night. Sweet baby Jesus it was exquisite. It was about 2am and I felt like I was in zero gravity. I almost woke up my bride to share with her my journey to bliss. I think my whole body relaxed and released the stone. It passed the next day. I was so taken with demerol and afraid of stones I kept that bottle in my pocket at work the next day on the PE field. I wanted relief when the next satanic blast hit me. About 2 that afternoon I checked the bottle and the cap had come off and the pills had melted in my sweat soacked shorts. My GP would give me an Rx every few years of a few demerol to protect me. The last 10 yrs my dad got lots of Oxy from the VA so that was my go to along with a beer in the hot bathtub to whip those tiny little jagged mofos. The last few stones have come out with no pain. I think the early ones ripped a four lane highway through my ureters and other tubal pathways so they now just fall out. Havent needed any pain killer in awhile now, if you dont county Wild Turkey on Friday night to forget stuff.
    Last edited by stephenpe; 10-12-2020 at 11:59 AM.

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