Learn first aid for psychosis

This post tells you to how to help someone who is experiencing psychosis, based on first aid guidelines that have just been published in the medical journal Schizophrenia Bulletin

Psychosis is a mental state where someone might experience hallucinations, unusual beliefs, paranoia, mixed emotions, muddled thoughts, hyper-awareness or show unusual or puzzling behaviour.

The guidelines have been drawn from an international committee of professionals, patients and carers. The detailed points are in table 1 of the paper which is available online as a pdf file.

If you want additional mental health first aid information, there’s more on a dedicated website.

Recognising and acknowledging psychosis

Psychosis is the mental state where someone might experience hallucinations, unusual beliefs, paranoia, mixed emotions, muddled thoughts, hyper-awareness or show unusual or puzzling behaviour. If someone seems distressed or impaired by their experiences, even if they’re quite subtle at first, it’s best not to ignore them and hope they’ll go away. It’s good to give the person the opportunity to discuss the situation.

Approaching someone who might be experiencing psychosis

People experiencing the early stages of psychosis may be worried, and may be concerned about discussing their experiences because of what others might think. Also, the experiences might be frightening in themselves.

The key is to be caring, gentle and non-judgemental. Find somewhere where they can talk safely and that’s free of distractions. Say why you’re worried about them, but avoid talk of mental illness or diagnoses – you could be wrong and it might just make them more frightened. Don’t force a conversation if it’s not wanted and don’t touch them without permission.

Ask the person what will help them feel safe and in control, and allow them to talk about their experiences at their own pace, even if they seem quite unusual to you. Let them know that help is available, and if they don’t want to talk, they’re welcome to talk at a later time.

Giving support

It’s important to respect the person’s beliefs, even if you don’t agree. Someone who is experiencing psychosis might find it hard to distinguish what’s real from what’s not, so telling people that they’re wrong rarely helps. However, it’s always possible to empathise with whatever emotions are stirred up by the experience and this can be very comforting.

Avoid criticising or blaming the person. They may be talking or behaving differently because of their experiences. Although the person might be having some odd experiences and difficulty focusing, their intelligence is unlikely to be affected, so you can talk to them as any other adult. However, sarcasm might be misunderstood by someone who is very suspicious, so should be avoided. Be honest, and don’t make promises you can’t keep.

Dealing with delusions and hallucinations

Delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (false experiences) will probably seem real to the person. Avoid denying, dismissing, laughing at, or arguing about their perceived reality. Try not to be alarmed, horrified or embarrassed about any unusual ideas or paranoia.

Dealing with communication difficulties

People with psychosis are often unable to think clearly. Speaking at your normal pace is fine and usually you will be understood perfectly well, but you may need to give the person extra time to absorb and respond to what you say, and you may need to repeat anything they haven’t been able to focus on. The person may seem to show little emotional reaction – but be aware that they may well be feeling strong emotions inside.

Discussing whether to seek professional help

Ask the person if they’ve felt this way before and, if so, what helped then. Find out what sort of assistance the person thinks will help them this time. If the person has supportive family or friends, encourage the person to contact them. The person might need practical or emotional support when using mental health services, and if the person lacks confidence in the medical advice they’ve received, encourage them to get a second opinion.

What to do if the person doesn’t want help

Some people with psychosis don’t realise there’s anything wrong, even when they’re quite distressed or impaired, and may actively resist encouragement to get help. However, many people understand what’s happening and have a right to refuse help. Threatening the person with hospitalisation or mental health law is likely to make matters worse.

If you’re worried about someone you should encourage them to talk to people they trust or get a medical check-up. You may need to be patient, and remain friendly and open to the possibility that the person will seek help in the future as some people will need some time to feel comfortable with the idea.

What to do in a crisis when the person is very unwell

Try to remain as calm as possible, talking in a normal tone of voice and answer any questions the person might have. Your aim is to make the person feel more comfortable and calm the situation.

Try and evaluate whether the person is at risk of being harmed, harming themselves, or is suicidal. If you think this is the case, call for medical assistance immediately. If the situation seems risky, check how to leave and keep yourself safe.

If you need to call medical assistance, make sure they know the seriousness of the situation by describing specific observations about the person. If new people arrive, explain who they are, that they they’re here to help, and how they’re going to assist.

Find out if there’s anyone the person can contact who they trust and might be able to help. If you can help with any requests that aren’t unsafe or unreasonable, it might help the person feel in control.

What to do if the person becomes aggressive

It is very rare that people with even severe psychosis become aggressive. They are much more likely to be a risk to themselves.

However, people who are extremely suspicious, feel persecuted or are worried about their own safety may be jumpy or feel ‘on edge’. The best response is to make the person feel safe and calm. A good way is to lead the way by acting in a calm, reassuring, non-challenging manner. Try to avoid doing anything that might look ‘shifty’ or suspicious or avoid restricting the person’s movement.

Take any threats or warnings seriously. If you are frightened or worried about your own safety leave and call for help. If you call the police, describe any symptoms and immediate concerns and tell them if the person is armed. If possible, explain that you’ve called help to get medical treatment and because you’re worried about their aggressive behaviour.

146 thoughts on “Learn first aid for psychosis”

  1. Excellent advice.
    Have come to the same observation in dealing with people I’ve known to be experiencing psychosis.

    Reply

    1. Hello everyone my name is Kris and my wife who is an amazing woman is Kim. We have been dealing with this for some time, although she just did her first stay in a hospital. That liked to have killed me, having to drive away without her and knowing that they arn’t the greatest people in the world in those places. I have read so many of these storied on here and most of them are like mother and son or brother and sister type things. Does anyone have any advise? Keep in mind we are foster parents and when we started all this things were fine or at least I think they were hell who knows. Know we have 2 children in our home both with RAD so our house is far from quiet and tranquil. I don’t know what to do, she is on a regiment of drugs that seem to work for now, for about half the day, then the dark swoops in as she puts it and her mind goes to those dark places. I just want to help my wife come back, the woman I feel so deeply in love with. I try and stay calm and let her talk things out but that seems to be the only talks we have. She can’t focus on anything else. She tries but always ends up on her issue witch is Cancer and every lil thing on her body is Cancer and is gonna kill her. I guess I am just looking for other people going through this to talk to….. Thanks for listening
      Kris

      Reply

      1. I live in AZ and my life partner
        (fiance/ex-wife) is now on her 30th day in a hospital thinking that she is going to jail for the rest of her life. We have have a son and daughter together. I don’t know how to deal with this and I like to think of myself as a “emotional tuff guy” but dam if I’m not takin this well. Wana talk?

      2. Hey there,
        I just want to say I know and share your pain.
        You have my support. If you need any advice or wanna talk just be in touch.
        I will be more than happy to listen, talk, and if I can give some advice.

        Wishing all the best,

        Adam

      3. HI Kris,

        Sounds like you could use some support for sure–I do not have professional experience with psychosis, but I can at least recommend a reputable website that offers online support groups for everything under the sun, it seems. I am confident you will find a support group to help you with understanding the phenomenon, plus ways to help. The website is DailyStrength.org Please check it out. It is free and you can go online any time to seek support. Love, Light and Blessings to you and your family

      4. Hi I have been reading a lot of stories and crying crying crying I fell in love with a.beautiful man a year and a half ago…I believe there is drug induced issues…my life has been destroyed I have my own kids ..not with me until I am OK from all this..this man I love dies not believe there is a problem yet other times he says oh never mind I am in phcosis..I used to fight with BIM in beginning when I saw I thought be was thinking things from past hurts trauma..I realized ya he may have for those reasons but then I also realized his dabbling in using was affecting him and it got worse and worse…I am afraid he will never get help he is hurting so much so lost and sad.it was for longest time.he loves me for a day or week then bieves I am his biggest enemy now he seems to be living for longer and when he is upset with me and says I did any number if things the very next day now he calls contacts me and I lovings and wanting us ..he wants to have a.life he continually now tells me plz plz never forget I livs u…or promise me honey u believe my love..I hands it wrong st first I was being attached and I defended..I know now he lives me he is in a dark place if has destroyed my life with my kids..and I live him I do t want him to die..or stay in his lsin he has got clean but goes back and I was enabling in many ways until I realized and I still do becuz I go and let BIM be where he is with him…I want my life back my family and I want the man I fell in love with how do I help him be needs to stop using and he did but it seems doctors do not see what going on be went to emergcnxy few time asking them check him he told me they said be OK…he had to deal with all he did his memory being different mine and he was angry at ms for long time say I g why I fell him he doest no what happened and that I need be honest he does not realize be remembers different he wants to live and live well how do I help him I like e him my family says he is a.loser etc it is s real disorder he has developed from using I don’t want him to sink so Mich he can’t get up and he has gotten worse he lives in shters and has tried and tried to bring me more and more in Hiss’s world but I ways remain that I need to work in me be sell from all the strain I need him in good treatment he wants to stop he has times he says the drug caused this then other he is upset angry if I say it…he is beautiful and hurt and has trauma from early on..me too ..he has guilt from things he did he only resently shared some things that I was made aware if and it Flores me how do I ho him help himself..he needs treatment and I believe it so hard becuz now his false beliefs make him use and using brings on the phcosis…I live BIM old.old.plz.help I is e become calm now with him always I do t say he wrong I suggest removing himself from the people he feels wrong etc..he has opened up and Libes buts he is lost..plz I can’t watch him fade and I can’t keep going like this hurting myself and I will not can not lose forever my children how do I help him start his healing and keep me and GEF.me help for this and other traumas..someone plz.I can’t do this anymore it is hurting too much and I am worn out..r

      5. I’m sorry to heat of your troubles Chris. I too have a “crazy” wife, sorry to offend anyone without a humor.we got married when I was 22, I’m now pushing 30! I feel so deeply in love with her, my happiest moments in life…like a drug.
        My addiction to her cast a shadow on my sight, as until 1 1/2yrs ago I believed every lie she fed me, and even against better judgement, jumped into the fire with gas can in hand.. Now, this many years later, I’ve taken every course of HELP I can reach for us, and now it seems like divorce is imminent. We have a TWO year old and I’m so scared she will harm him when I’m not around, maybe not physically, but certainly emotional. Chris I feel your pain in a slightly different way brother, and may God bless your family. See the positive if possible, add even through our pain is deep, many have deeper.
        1Love

      6. Kris,
        My fiance has been suffering from severe psychosis for the last 6 months. He was in the hospital, taking meds, relxed, and then discharged. It has been about a week since he stopped taking his meds and refuses to take them. We have two children in the home. He believes the “system” is watching him and that we are all part of some game that is watching him. He is extremely paranoid. He is from Colombia and decided to leave back to his country in about a month. He is scared that people want to kill him. He wants to know if when he gets to his home country he continues feeling this way. I understand how hard it is because I am dealing with the same. It is one thing to be a mom with a daughter having this symptoms and another thing for your spouse to be the inflicted one. I feel so scared and alone. I just need to know if there is hope that he will get better, if we can have a family? Any support would be great. thanks for listening.
        Jessica

      7. Hi Jessica, I could understand how u r feeling now. My elder son had a severe mental breakdown last Oct. he’s diagnosed with psychosis. Was admitted to a mental institution for treatment. Initially refused to continue medication when he think he’s ok or hates the weight gain,but of course it lead to relapses. He attempted suicide twice cos he hear voices telling him to do it. Now he’s been on regular med and injection, but the most frustrating thing happen, the voice came Bk and told him to kill himself orelse he will become gay. And when he’s outside , the voice told him that someone is going to kill him and he suspect his neighbors too. He got admitted again cos he planning to jump out of the window. We are all in this tough journey, our loved ones are struggling with this illness. We need to be strong physically & mentally to help them survive thru all the episodes. I believe God will heal them, just need to have faith and patient to hang in there &also to pray that the Dr will find the right medicines. U take care and must encourage your fiancé never to stop taking the medicine.

      9. I’m sorry to hear of your plight. My 20 year old son has horrific issues mentally brought about by being diagnosed with a brain tumour. The sad thing is his psychosis caused by absolute anxiety is far harder to live with than the brain tumour which is untreatable. It is an impossible situation. He was on medication but i allowed that to stop as he kept threatening suicide. He IS in a bad way and i have mentioned to him that we are riding these waves together, his pain is my pain, his breath is my breath. There is no answer except love and strength. At times you wonder how long you can last but you do. I would say pray but my faith has been tested to the limit as my prayers won’t work. Whose to say yours might. You have no choice but to be there for your wife. The best thing is the less stress as possible and peace. My son won’t go anywhere but a nice trip to mountains and lakes or something peaceful to see the world can be beautiful would be a wonderful thing. I truly am thinking of you and feel your pain. I crashed my car the day he was hospitalised. The torment of leaving him there the worst i have experienced but he is home and although I am happy about that I can see and feel his anguish and am very worried of his anger at times but its cope of have him hospitalised and drugged up. I am thinking of you Sorry this isn’t happy news but its what we have to live with and most of all you only have strength if you have hope so don’t give up. Trish

      10. Hi Kris my son is 37 and has been going thru this for the past nine years with different medicibes that help a little in the beginning but nothing to date have really helped him he thinks he is a drug dealer many people are out to get it’s constant Kaos sometimes I see and get to talk to my son in normal conversations and remember all the beautiful things about him that what keeps me going I have often wondered if there where others out there

      11. Hi Kris. I’m so sorry for what you are going through. my boyfriend was just admitted to the hospital yesterday. the past few months have been a nightmare. i know how you feel when you said that all you want is to find the woman you fell in love with. it’s like you know they are in there somewhere but you just can’t reach them. i thought i would feel better when he was in the hospital because at least i would know he is safe, but it’s almost worse…i wish you strength and recovery for you and your wife

    2. I have a sister who has had psychosis for 20+ years now. I have offered her help several times, she has been in the hospital twice once was a state hosp. I am at a loss now and dont know how to help her. She has been married for 30+ years and has 4 grown kids now my brotherinlaw wants to leave her, but twenty years ago I told him I thought she needed help and he said there was nothing wrong with her. It has gotten worse over the years and of course my sister is in denial and thinks nothing is wrong. Can any one help and tell me what to do, we live in different states but I am willing to go to her and bring her home with me but how do I get her help and will this be a lifetime of medications for her. Annonymous.

      Reply

    3. Hello, I am writing to see if I can get some advice or help. I have a sister who has suffered with psychosis for 20+ years she has been hospitalized twice once being a state hosp.. She has been married for 33 years years and now has 4 grown children. Her husband and her kids are tired of her and dont or cant help her. I live in a different state than my sister but will do anything to help her, My brotherinlaw has now decided after 33 years with her to leave when their youngest daughter graduates from high school. I have spoke with my sister about this and she says that he cant leave her because he is her husband, she is in denial of any illness and refuses help.. I
      My brotherinlaw has said that he will sign over guardianship to me . My question is how do I get help for her if she refuses it, I know that in the state Im in that anybody can petition anybody and get them help.. Is psychosis a life time illness with nothing but meds or is there an actual cure for it. Please help

      Reply

  2. My daughter is suffering from severe psychosis. It has been a nightmare to deal with, as she is in complete denial and extremely delusional.

    Reply

    1. My daughter to is suffering from a phychosis to and like your daughter feels there is nothing wrong is very painful to deal with a big shock and an over whelming feeling of feeling powerless i like you feel there is no where to turn maybe we could keep in touch take care marie

      Reply

      1. Hi marie, just read yr post about yr daughter, i know it was a couple yrs back but was wondering how you and yr daughtet are now? My son has recently been admitted to a unit with drug induced physcosis and in denial..just wondering how you coped .Sandy

  3. My daughter is in a severe state of psychosis, is very difficult to have any conversation with, is not trusting anyone, but is talking to her therapist almost daily on the telephone. She threatens us daily with her her words, she thinks we bad people, we are not, but she has it in her mind that everyone is sinning and is against her. She is clinging to her bible and corrects our every word and tells us we don’t have God in our hearts, but indeed we do. She wants us to speak and act the way she wants us to speak and act. It is the most difficult situation to deal with. She trusts no one and is very suspicious of everyone. She is paranoid and is having a delusional relationship with a policeman which, even though the policeman is real and is someone she knows through her previous job, there is no relationship. She writes him letters, has called him at work, has emailed the entire police department. He will put a restraining order on her if she tries to contact him again, but she is persisting that he is going to marry her. There many things going on in her mind, so will end here. Need some advice.

    Reply

    1. I see myself in your daughter`s story. What helped me were medications, going away from city to a mountain, silence, lots of sleep, physical activity. It took about 3 weeks to completely get out of psychosis.Here is the list of medication prescribed to me and I still take them: Seroquel, Lithium, Rivotril, Flormidal, Propranolol. Keep her away from stress and if there is some sort of trauma in her past, that would be the place to start, after she gets out of psychosis. I hope she will get better soon.

      Reply

      1. The trauma you speak about, how do you go about approaching the issue to reassure them they are now safe and it cannot hurt them ever again.

    2. Dear Carol, I realize that your post was over a year ago, but I so need to talk to you. I am a single parent and have raised my son alone since he was 21. He is getting worse and I would die to talk to someone that has experienced this. I need to wake him up, but if you will, can you share your story with me and do you have any hope to give me. He won’t take his medicine, but I am going to set a boundary with him and make him take it. If you want to call, I will call you back on my dollar. My phone number is 405-947-2662 and my name is Anna. My son is 21, I am almost 54 and have never ever been through anything this scarry in my life. Warmly, Anna

      Reply

      1. Hi Anna

        your post was a while ago too but maybe you should look into a support group in your area.

        I haven’t looked further down the thread to see if you’ve had any replies yet but I hope you are coping.

        My partner experienced his first psychosis 3 weeks ago. Thinking he’d been drugged by workmates, hypnotised, set up by the police etc. He’s completely placid and knows something’s not right which is half the battle won I guess – atm I’m seeking an alternative therapist who can work on his beliefs to see if that helps. I’m not a fan of medication at all but I know it’s necessary at least for now to help him and keep us safe.

        Good luck on your journey and seek the support where you can. 🙂

        Ainsley

    3. Hi Carrol

      I undestand ur pain as my son got psychosis (first attack four years back, I think because h tried cannabies, may be broken heart from a relatinship. but he got it badly, did not trusr us, and did not even wanted to see us. He thought he got some super-powers, and in disease was talking of that girl too much sort of comfort zone for him. Even he refused to take the medications, but thank God I just created a story matching to his, that how I got thesuper powers too because of him, and god told me about all the powers he has given to him to reform this word. Immediately he strated putting ome trust in me. Then I told him, how these people here(medical staff) are sent by GOD to serve him, so dont refuse them, rather let them serve you. After mediction and talking daily a lot about his expriences,I tried remain connected to him, he recovred. He went to study again( I slowly makehim realise, that his experiences werebecause of his mental illness) He is doing good at studies, but off and on get symptoms too, but at the same time he has learnt tomange himself. While during second attack, he thought this time, it’s pretty orginal god gift (as he has not taken any drugs after first episode), was hard to take him to doctor, but this time with mild attack,he himself has gone to doctor.
      I am not sure wether any thing mentioned here could be helpful But I wish a speedy recovery of ur daughter
      regards
      rajni

      Reply

      1. Rajni, you are a genius.
        Reading your story just made me realize something about my mom.
        She has been mentally ill my whole life.
        Growing up there would be many months of near normalcy and typically in the fall would go to in-patient facility for awhile, (in addition to her battles of severe OCD, fall marks the anniversary of my sisters death. Just shy of her 4th birthday she was hit by a car and was dragged a good distance before the 17 yo driver realized he hit something. My brother immediately beat the crap out of him as he got out of the car and the driver hadn’t even realized what happened yet. She lived for 2 wks, broken and swollen on life support. Then she had a bad seizure and coded. she was declared brain dead and taken off life support on my moms birthday.)
        I was born 11 months after the tragedy. And didn’t know anything about it as a small kid.
        But would tell my mom how God sent me to her. Because I needed a good mom and I picked her.
        It would really freak out my brother and my sisters.
        But it was enough to give her a sign.
        So my realization- that perhaps that magical thinking gave her hope enough to bring her back.
        She’s been in/out of psychosis for many months now and it’s worse than it’s ever been.
        I’m hoping.
        Thank you everyone for sharing. Best wishes.

      2. Hi Rajni,
        My bro went to the UK for postgrad studies and had a severe psychotic attack that he tried to harm his flatmate thinking he spiked his food and drinks. It’s very tough to deal with all this.
        My parents have gone through 6his for atleast 2 years now. He also seems to have absurd thinking. But otherwise is a sharp and very good student.

        How is your son doing now?

        Can we speak please. I had so many dreams for my brother. Seems all shattered now. It is so tough and anyone who is caring for anybody having such mental ailment.

    4. Hi Carol, I read your comment and it nearly perfectly matched with the description of my sister; i really feel for you, it is very painful having someone you love for (and only want the best for) believe you to be against them and that you have/will betray them.

      Unfortunately she attempted suicide, she lived but has had to have one of her legs amputated. This slightly changed her for a while, she acted slightly more “normal” until a couple months after.

      She now has continued having her physchotic phases, its distraughting, I can handle it but what gets me upset the most is that my little sister has to deal with this, it just isnt fair on her

      She often refuses medication, the pshyciatrist couldnt give two sh*ts; I really don’t know what to do.

      Reply

    5. My daughter in a serious state of mind.she insists on going out on her own which I see as very unsafe.Am I being over protective?

      Reply

  4. My 34 year old brother has severe psychosis, he was first diagnosised 7 years ago and his episodes have gradually become more severe each year. At the moment he is sectioned in a hospital where he has been for 6 months and he is getting worse by the week. The consultants keep changing his medication but with no improvement he is walking around like a zombie and his speech is so slurred we have difficulty working out what he’s saying. My parents and I are considering trying to get the sectioned overturned so that we could care for him at home. As all the hospital do is give him drugs but don’t chat with him so he his left in his room most of the day, which in my opinion would be enough to send anyone of us over the edge. Does anyone know of any alternatives to medication that we could try?
    Thanks for any advise you can give.

    Reply

    1. hi
      your brother need love from you he need to find family next to him love him and care for him, this will hellp him alots, you need to get him home and start showing him life and soind lots of time with him and go out alots with him respect him and make him feal he is ok its the best way with medacation
      do that and he will be 75% better
      good luck

      Reply

    2. My brother was diagnosed in his early 20s, was able to maintain an almost-normal life for 30+ years with occasional medication changes (they all have side effects) then stopped taking medication on his own and descended into psychosis once again this past year. I visited him at the hospital when he was first put back on medication and seeing him as you describe your brother. Please do not take him home yet. In order to get patients to take the medications they need, hospitals prescribe other medications that act to reduce resistance to treatment. It is very unhappy, but a common delusion is that one is being poisoned and so is resistant. At home there is no way your family can insist your brother take the medication he needs. Of course you want to visit him often as you can–but love is not going to cure this episode anymore than it would cure a heart attack. As with any other hospitalization, your family needs to keep the medical staff aware that someone cares what is happening to your brother. That is all you can do.

      Reply

      1. I believe it is especially important to differentiate between delusions, which are a feature of psychosis, and the paranoia regarding being “poisoned” by psychiatric medicine. This paranoia may also be psychotic in some way, but it’s not delusional.

        Anti-psychotic medicines are, for the most part, extremely toxic. Informed consent means that the patient should be aware of the metabolic consequences, as they are trading quality of life for years at the end. At the very least, awareness of the reality of their toxicity should not be pathologized or dismissed as part of the illness.

      2. FM Bandit, I don’t know where you got your information, but paranoia is a subtype of delusions. A delusion is a belief not strongly based in reality.

        If someone believes that they are being poisoned with malicious intent, then that is a delusion. You might think that anti-psychotic medications are toxic, but for you to attempt to justify delusional paranoia for the sake of making a statement about psychotropic medications is sickening to me.

        There is certainly a difference between understanding the negative consequences of drugs and holding the delusional belief that your doctors are secret agents who are trying to poison you.

    3. my friend all mental need love need family need loving home, plz take your brother out of the hospital he need to be with his family he will do good at home, he need to be surrounded with ppl he love and they love him, love love love is the one key for mental,

      Reply

    4. Wow Collette that is so sad! I know you wrote this back in 2011 but I thought I’d respond anyway.

      Personally I don’t trust the mental health system at all. Each doctor we have gone to see for my partner doesn’t listen to us and just throws him more meds.

      I have a background in Neuro Linguistic Programming & communication which has helped me deal with our situation better. I am going to take him to see my NLP teacher who is also a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist. I know he will work with my partner’s beliefs on a deeper level rather than letting him walk around like a zombie stuffing him with meds.

      I recommend you get him out of there as soon as you can! These institutions cause more harm than good. Bring him to a loving, safe and trusting environment and nurture him. People recover faster when they feel loved and can talk about it.

      You might not be able to do this but I quit my job (we had some money saved) and am spending the next 2 months focusing on him and getting him back on track. If you or your parents are able to do this I recommend it. It’s hard work and can be frustrating at times so supporting each other is paramount too. Maybe get some counselling for yourself or find a support group.

      Finally, watch this movie. It’s called ‘The Marketing of Madness’ and is about the psychotropic drug industry. VERY compelling!

      I hope it’s all working out for you. Alot can happen in 18 months since you posted but I hope you can get something out of my message anyway.

      Good luck! 🙂

      Reply

      1. The movie mentioned above is in part sponsored by an orginazation that has close ties with the Scientology. This organization believes ALL medicines and MOST medical treatments are not to be used. The vast majority of people who specialize in treating psychosis, people who for the most part could have chosen specialties that were far more lucrative, believe medication is essential for most people with psychosis. Even those who emphasize other forms of treatment, like cognitive behavioral therapy, still believe that medications are a staple of treatment. I would not recommend that you let him out where he might be at risk for killing himself. And if you do, please make sure that your state has involuntary outpatient commitment laws. I’ve signed an advanced directive for myself, because I sure would want to be helped if I can longer realize I need help, for a period of 1 year. Instead, be involved with his treatment as much as possible. What medications is he currently on? Which ones has he taken? Has he been on a trial of Clozapine yet?

      2. There are two types of doctors in the States, Medicine and Medical. To those doctors…which one are YOU?

        Get your family members out of the medicine hospitals as fast as you can and get them home.

        If you can’t spend time with family, what does it all mean?

        Best Wishes.

    5. Hi Colette,
      Please let me know how you bother is doing…my son went thought the same thing…he is 26, 2 years ago he was in the hospital 4 months..Doctors tried every drug you could image, it made him worse..I am also looking for more natural alternative..he can only think of the same thing over and over agian..he thinks he is a bad person and can not go to heaven. He
      is the most caring and sweet person I have every meet…He has alot of guilt..He was BULLIED all of his life in school..Right now the only thing he is doing is pacing fron room to room with the same thought…He has talked to many Doctors ( But no relief )
      Has anything helprd your brother?

      Thank ypou so much for sharing!
      Please take care of yourself!
      Sandy

      P.S.

      I think if the church would get behind helping hurting people with this illness and their familes it would help a great deal..but I guess they do not understand or ( AFRAID )

      Reply

    6. Hi dear, my husband suffered from severe phychosis.. A really bad time. He had two hospital admissions and many medications but nothing worked. He was on monthly injection due to medication refusal. But he was same.. Then we went to India. We had seen many doctors but there is one doctor whose medication really worked. My husband is much much better. Taking his medication, going to work and spending time with family.. I will definelty recommend that doctor. He is head of phychiatric department. If u need details i can send u his contact no.

      Reply

      1. Hi there my brother is 34 and suffering his second episode of paranoid psychosis. He was hospitalised last year for a month. He never really fully recovered but has just resently gone into another full blown episode. He has paid a solicitor €750 to prove he’s innocent against an aligation which has never been made. He doesn’t trust any doctor so he refuses to go for medical treatment and gets quite agitated with just the mention of it. I don’t know what to do for the best watching him go through this is soul destroying. What is the name of the doctor in India. I just want my brother back.

      2. Har,
        I am new on this sight and just read your entry. My 21 year old son is really struggling with his illness and I would be very interested to get the contact information on the doctor from India. I would be very grateful.
        Thank you,
        Paula

      4. Hi my name is kara my partner is seriously ill please could you send me the details of the doctor who helped your husband,thank you so much take care

  5. My 34 year old brother has severe psychosis, he was first diagnosised 7 years ago and his episodes have gradually become more severe each year. At the moment he is sectioned in a hospital where he has been for 6 months and he is getting worse by the week. The consultants keep changing his medication but with no improvement he is walking around like a zombie and his speech is so slurred we have difficulty working out what he’s saying. My parents and I are considering trying to get the sectioned overturned so that we could care for him at home. As all the hospital do is give him drugs but don’t chat with him so he his left in his room most of the day, which in my opinion would be enough to send anyone of us over the edge. Does anyone know of any alternatives to medication that we could try?
    Thanks for any advise you can give.

    Reply

    1. I hope u can find a better alternative for your son, to treat him that way locked up in a room on drugs doesn’t sound like rehabilitation, he needs calming/normal/pleasant experiences like we all do. I feel for you.

      Reply

    2. i have a brother too suffering of psychosis,its serious battered his wife many times and recently hiding from police because the warrant of arrest issued for battering his wife.can anyone advise? coz i just love my brod so.

      Reply

  6. My mum has these symptoms described, and is in denial or unaware. I’ve come to realise that the following is definitely important in how I deal with her: Do not criticize or ridicule, be empathetic, be calm (that’s hard!), don’t take over but offer support make them feel it’s on their terms so you’re not taking control away from them. I hope one day mum will agree to seek mental health help. I agree she’s very suspicious of everyone and everything, scared. It’s upsetting but those caring for them must remain strong.

    Reply

  7. My daughter is 22 and has had her first “break”. I am devastated. I don’t understand this. She just graduated from college with a BS in Political Science. She had gotten a job that she suddenly quit and was pursuing law school admission then suddenly decided to not pursue it further. When everything go derailed. She was admitted and placed on medications last week. I cannot get her into see a psychiatrist until 6/20. She keeps accusing her brother who is 14 of things he isn’t doing. She is difficult to deal with. She just started another job with a prestigious law firm that I know she cannot keep with her given thought processes disturbed. She says she is confused. I don’t know what to do or how to do it. I want my daughter back. What has happened? She was a kid that always had it together? The medications she is on currently are not helping her. She isn’t getting well at all. She is worse with the psychosis now. Any suggestions of what I should do? The confidentiality of the mentally ill really does not help the family in their support of them.

    Reply

    1. sches:

      I’m so sorry to hear your daughter is going through this. My brother has schizophrenia and has been in and out of hospitals about 10 times in the past 5 years. I think it’s important to keep in mind that mental illness is a chemical brain disorder that can be treated with medication. It has nothing to do with how much someone “has it together,” just like cancer or renal failure it’s a medical condition that needs to be addressed and will not go away on its own, and says nothing about the person’s intelligence or character. Someone can be very intelligent and have psychosis, my brother just recently graduated from graduate school at a prestigious university. I’ve found that there is no point in reasoning with a delusion, they are not real and thus need no further discussion. I’ve also found that it can be very helpful to focus on supporting them through the experience. Example: My brother demands I ask the doctors for a toxicology screening because he believes he is being poisoned by the nurses and drs. I respond “I am not going to ask for a toxicology screening because I do not think you are being poisoned. I’m sorry you think that, that must be very scary for you. I’m your family, I love you and I’m here to make sure you’re safe.” It’s important to keep in mind recovery can be a life-long process. We are 5 years into my brother’s illness and still have not found the perfect medication although after much trial and error we’ve found ones that help immensely. Keep track of all the medications she is being given, how she responds to them, any side effects and their dosages. Good luck.

      Reply

  8. When in acute psychosis medications help. Such as Zalasta, Seroquel..it all depends on person which one will help. But I recommend to all who have this problems to try Cognitive Behavioral therapy either with a help of professional or alone. I strongly believe that psychosis comes from complete confusion about one`s own emotions and about ways to deal with problems.

    Reply

  9. I have a son aged 23yrs has been experienced with psychosis. I am really worrying that he is not getting better even though he has been on drugs. he keeps saying that we all are sinning, and everyone is in delusion and everyone is in a dream, this world is a devil world, everyone will go to hell. he keeps reading article about Matrix and read bible.

    he does not socialise anyone and talk to anyone either but seeing his pschaitrist. I am really hoping that he will get better soon as he is my only child. any feedback will be excellent thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi Shila,
      My son is 26 he has been made fun of all of his life.
      He is very smart..He also thinks like your son about the bible…He is stuck on 1 verse in the bible, he thinks he can not go to heaven..it consumes his every thought along with pacing from room to room every day for 2 months..I feel for every family out there that is going though the same thing with mental illness..I wish people and churches would wake up and not
      critize ( I think they do not understand or afraid)
      My son too have been on all drugs you can image,
      He was in the hospital 4 months with no relief or help from them…He also got worse.If you have found anything to hepl your son pleae share.
      Please Take care Of Yourself!
      God Bless!
      Sandy

      Reply

      1. My ex’s thing was that the Freemasons/Illuminati were conspiring to bring about a New World Order, and to this end they are putting genetic poisons into the air via vapour trails, and are sacrificing children to the devil. I have pieced this together from various things he’s said. I think the intensity of this belief, and how central it is to him, varies, but I don’t think it ever goes away. He hides it well. It takes a long time to find it all out. And I, too, wish people who spout conspiracy-theories would think twice. I used to find them simply amusing. Now I think they’re harmful.

        Oh, and I’m cheating on him – that’s the other delusion. I wish he knew how much I loved him, how I never wanted anyone else in the world. But that’s in the past now. He left me. Have to give myself time to heal.

  10. Zen buddhism, taoism, yoga… these things can help a mind regain composure. Exercise, good diet (balanced, lots of vegetables and water), and sleep are crucial. They help restore balance to the brain’s chemicals. Getting out of the city, experiencing nature can help. Avoiding overuse of technology can help. Meditation helps. Don’t worry too much. Don’t project negativity. Guide the inner child. If things get too messed up, you can suggest going to the hospital for a check up, see if neurotransmitters are doing ok and whatnot. They might get checked into the mental health care facility from there.

    Reply

  11. One point I would add, from my experience as a student nurse in a highly regarded psychiatric hospital, is not to validate their delusions. Like you said, if you try to deny or argue with a psychotic person, you will lose their trust and only damage your communication with them. On the other hand, you should not try to agree with their delusions either– this only sets you up for losing their trust when it becomes obvious that you’ll say anything to pacify them.

    When talking with schizophrenic and bipolar patients, I found it was helpful to ask them more details about their delusions, to allow them to talk about their fearful state of mind. It helped to gain their trust by showing that I was interested in what they were experiencing. It will take a while for them to come back to “normal,” so building a foundation of trust is essential.

    Reply

  12. I have known both a case of schizophrenia and paranoia, and I find that paranoia psychosis is much harder to deal with. The person is in control and lie about everything if they loose your trust. They convince very well the doctor that they are fine, but then live on their mental construction (they have to escape the city, something like that).

    The paranoia person I know has been diagnocised Bipolar, but I doubt that’s the problem. She doesn’t have periods of high moods followed by depression. For me, after having read a lot, I feel more that it’s paranoia personality disorder, because even in standard life she is highly aggressive, all the time reproaching others that they’re just talking in their backs, and also ask a lot of help like it was due to her but give little back. Not somebody I would refer to as a “kind” person, yet she has friends because I think people are attracted to how she is pretty much self-empowered and go-getter in her “normal” mode.

    I have read that the best cure for paranoia personality disorder is humor, and it is true this person has none whatsoever. This is a person in my family, by the way, which I’ve tried to help for 5 years (funny how all the friends disappear when she’s into psychosis and then come back later). Personally I don’t think I can do much more. It’s flabbergasting how someone can come to realize they have a big problem, get treatment for it, and than later they fall all back into it again, and worse. It’s very discouraging. Maybe she hasn’t reach the bottom enough, I don’t know. I’d think this is a disease scary enough that you’d make everything for it to not come back. I don’t how harsh are the side effects of meds but she’s only focussing on stopping taking them as soon as she’s fine. She “doesn’t really need them” is how she sees it. Ah well, sorry for the rant.

    Reply

    1. Trouble is, a person never recovers from a psychiatric disorder, it’s built into the physical being…a chronic disease, not one that gets cured. People can only gain some control over it, not do away with it.
      You’ll have to do some more reading, actually your description of your friend with bi-polar diagnosis sounds very much like diagnosis is correct. Please continue reading, and choose the more complicated, not quick, material because there is no easy way to understand these things. You can’t really help, except by being calm yourself, and not getting dragged into situations.

      Reply

  13. my son was recently diagnosed with physicosis, he graduated from high school,and then he went off to finishing his degree becoming a electrician. he needs to still do his internship, but with this sickness he can’t seem to go foward. his brothers and sisters are scared of him and he is always talking to people from the past or past events to the air. his brake down was last year on june i took him immediatly to EMH and he was hospitalized for 2weeks he was sent home on seriquel, but know he doesn’t want to take the medications he was doing good at first until his father and his step mom dropped the ball while he was living with them. he doesn’t want to seek help and he won’t take the medication. i don’t know what else to do but pray to god to make it better.

    Reply

    1. There really is nothing else you can do–he will probably have to go back into the hospital and get put back on the proper drugs. The ones that work tend to have side effects, but like treatments for diabetes, for instance, it’s kind of a choice between being able to live and not being. My brother has this problem, it generally shows up in young people starting out in life, and never goes away, but the medication does help control it enough for people to have a real life.

      Reply

  14. Just wondered if anyone could help me. My sister has just recently had her children taken of her due to mental health grounds they seem to have taken the children but put no help in place for her it is very frustrating because when we try to get information they just tell us its confidential. she is constantly making up story’s which are very graffic and hard to repeat regarding sexual abuse ect. She recently visited our mums grave and left two vases with the name Matthew and Bernard engraved when she was questioned about this she told us they were for her children that are buried there but this is not true we don’t know where those names have come from or what to do about it. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated x

    Reply

  15. my son is 19 years old he is becoming extremely difficult to handle. His thoughts are unreasonable and he is always looking for an arguement. His dad told him to live in a shelter and he does not want to deal with him. I recently had the police take my son to a hospital for treatment. Today i visit him and found him worst making faces and telling me he is so smart and that is why no one understands him. The doctors are treating him with a drug named invega. In the past he has been treated with depakote and seraquil forgive my spelling . I see no improvement in him and i am so sad. When do you know if the medication is the right one?

    Reply

    1. You might call the local mhmr facility and see if he qualifies for group home living for the developmentally disabled. He is secured, has Dr.s/appts and proper medication dispensed properly, is also taught life skills and communication skills etc.

      Reply

    2. Hi Maria,
      My son is 26 , he too has in the hospital for 4 months taking the same meds as your son..which made him worse…I am still looking for a more natural approch..He has had so many hurts in his life ( made fun of in school ) He too is very smart and talented, but can not seem to go forward.
      I wish their were more awareness and support from churches ect..I guess they do not understand or they are afraid..If you have found anything that helps your son please let me know.
      Please Take care Of Yourself!
      God Bless!
      Sandy

      Reply

  16. You know it’s the rigth one when it finally works. When he/she no longer has delusions and they say they feel better and have insight into the disease. When they understand they need medication, not that everyone else is wrong and they are right.

    Reply

    1. My brother is once again suffering from a psychotic episode. He makes up ridiculous stories about me threatens me and when my mother questions him about it he denies it and says it was someone else. He makes no sense and will not stop messaging me accusing me of very serious things. He is not on medication for it I’m just wondering if he will ever come out of this and if he does if he’ll remember any of the things he has said or done. Mentally Ill or not, he has done a lot of damage to my reputation

      Reply

      1. Thanks to you,My mind is Cleen,sins.Thanks ,we have still Understand.Do Black Operator,Whatta Hell.Indeed,your Free Way.IHAVE TO SAY,BE free.,..

  17. I am just here to say i think i have the same problems as you all describe you friends and relitives to ahve. im not sure what to do about it thou , i cant confront my parents , ive been ignoring my “friends” , i have no connection with the outside world other then the birds and bees in my backyard. i have severe tooth decay and fear death is on its way. any ideas wat to handle first? my teeth my brain or a job to help out with the bills ive racked up over the years getting in trouble with the police. i have beeen feeling really bad that my parents have to put up with me and acutally pay for my mistakes. help please..

    Reply

    1. pray,open your heart to the good things to do by reading the bible.go to church,join the fellowship expose yourself that you need help and resist the bad intenions by not doing it try and ask GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY that you need and long to change and everything will follow to be done in harmony of course yourself first, then your job.goodluck friend.

      Reply

      1. Dear Readers,I was old when I reed this book.I believe The God,Smartest,Still I dont believe German Professor.God Heaven,Hell Satan it is brainwash.I Know Vedanta In India and so much more,too
        much.Toot in Eternity:Free ,If You havent murder:Take Easy.Total sinner I Am What i Feel Now.God knows,Total Free In Your Own Identitet.

      2. Dea
        rs There, I commentate only Homo(sapiens sapien)Is that Clear.

      3. Dear Society,I me my Own Father today.My Father about Mindamic… So on.myFATHER KNOWS Harnard and All Of Pure Mind.My Fathers libery Lives In Southampton.my Fathers Terms of mind will Contimue After His PastAWAY.own Therms,own Mathematic.Ask,Harnard,Pearman Ask.History Heh.

      4. Dear readers,link to Southamptom Raimo.J.Laasonen Get it in your Whatewer.His first Child.Mind Time Is So Guik.

    2. I dont think any of these confusing replies you have received are going to help you. You need to speak to your parents or friends and explain what you have been feeling. Apologise for the fact that you don’t trust them and let them know that you are aware that you have a problem. Talking about this and getting it out of your head will be the best way to think about things clearly, especially if people help you make reasonable sense of situations. The fact that you know it could be you and not them is a sign that it most likely is. The fact that you are open and honest (even though it will be very hard to speak out) will be appreciated by them and they will not judge you. They love you so much that they will just want to help you feel better. Good luck

      Reply

    3. To bla bla blah, hope you check back here. Please get your parents help. I did not know what was happening to my son and it went very badly for us. Your situation can still deteriorate. Your parents should take you to a psych doc and an MD to rule out correctable medical causes. Your teeth need treated now. If you have some help I am sure you can get to a place where you can work & stay out of trouble

      You can’t continue as you are. You can’t get well without help. Don’t feel guilty. I hear you. You will do better when you can. Hiding away is not protecting anyone, especially yourself. My child hid away and tried to protect us. The outcome was very serious for us all made worse because we did not get him help in time. He hurt someone while he was paranoid, delusional and very frightened. It will take years for the legal issues to be over. Please listen, honey and find some help. It will be best for all!

      Reply

    4. Hi bla bla blah,

      It’s great that you are seeking out help. I would find mental health resources, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has a helpline that you can call to learn about the mental health services in your area. 1-800-950-6264. Look into if there are free mental health centers in your area where you can access a psychiatrist and medications. It may be a long time before you are find the right medication but stick with it, mental illness does NOT go away on its own, and definitely does not go away only with prayer. (prayer can be a support for many people, but please know usually medication is necessary). Good luck.

      Reply

      1. How can my son 26 stick to meds that does not work for him? He was in the hospital 4 months …every Doctor was confused why they would not work..What is a mother suppose to do in this case????

        He is going weekly for talk theapy…What do you think about neofeed back???

        I think what most mentally ill people need is love and acceptance..which they do not get from hospitals or churches…( belief me I know) My son is very smart a great film maker…which he can no longer do because of a film school making a movie about his illness making fun of him….showed it at a film festevial in front of 300 people…how degrading…he has not been the same since ( Low self-esteem)

        Any Suggestion?
        God Bless!
        Sandy

  18. Thanks for the information, I work in a group home for the developmentally disabled and autistic without experience or degree. Every little bit helps. Em

    Reply

  19. My sister recently had a psychotic break. She is paranoid and accusing her husband of child abuse and being gay. She also has a complex narrative that involves many people in her life. I panicked when it first happened, got angry and desperate to get her treatment, and now she thinks I am a villain, and says she will not talk to me until I tell her the truth. I have chosen not to get involved in discussing “the truth” which is basically her sitting in judgement, saying that any observation of her inappropriate behavior is a lie. I tell her I love her, that I want to be there for her and listen to her, but she is stuck on my “telling the truth.” I am hoping that someday I will cease to be the villain. But more than that I hope she can come out of the paranoia and psychosis. Would appreciate hearing how anyone else talks to the psychotic person in their life. Any tips? Any guidelines for conversations or when they are accusing you? Thanks.

    Reply

    2. My son is 20. His first break was in May 14,2016. It was awful. I find that every situation is different. For me we take a walk together. I feel he tries to make it Beter by going out side. So walk we do. Sometimes he doesn’t talk. I talk a lot. Stupid stuff but I’m my self so no difference there. If he looks flat or unresponsive, I offer to be quiet. Or let him walk alone. I walk a few behind him. When he talks of his delusions I don’t feed into it. I go around it. I tell him how I honestly feel. I ask him how he deals with wat he’s feeling. You can tell it’s tough . We do movies. We have things we always did together. He just can’t tolerate a lot of ppl or prolong exposure to noisy environments. It’s hard n I have cried the most in the past 5 or six months that I have in my life. This illness does make you look at your self your family faith, religion all relationships around u even your job. Differently. I am able to be there for him n a boss that’s supportive. My boyfriend is somewhat supportive but ignorant on mental illness. Any one that believes that you can snap out of this like its the flu. You are so wrong. So wrong. And your thoughtless comments may hurt others into thinking they are weak when that’s not the case. I have seen my son hold his head like if he’s in pain trying to stop shut down the noise (voices) in his head. In the next second look at things in the sky like if something is there. He’s been angry at me n I won’t repeat it but I will tell u after we walked I would get a hug. Or an I love you. That moment is like a bandaid on any scar that I felt before. Take the good moments when they come. Let them know u care when possible. I like laughter, so when I can I through it out there. Doesn’t always work but hey it’s all good. I told him we got the shitty end of the gene pool. I’m short,my joints hurt, chubby. Hes dealing with this crap,You get the picture. He’s not on meds for a month now I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but mean while I pray for strength for all of us. Cause regardless of how ppl feel I beleive in God n I’m praying I can be supportive to him n firm in making the right decision n case he’s a danger to self or others. I pray he can have peace of mind from all his struggles n I pray this to all on this cite. If you don’t have supportive family out there I really beleive God finds away to place the right ppl around you at the right time. Hang in there your not alone. The world can be a crappy place but it can be beautiful. Best wishes to all. Love n peace

      Reply

      1. Hello Marge,
        My 19 year old son is going through the same thing your son is going through. Is really difficult and I feel I’m going to break at times, but God is always testing our faith. He’s been like this since October 10, 2016. I’m very supportive and thanks God my boss is also supportive and understands the meaning of having a love one going through an unexpected mental illness. My son is taking a few meds that are improving little by little and I have found a few places that have offer support at little to no cost for him. I feel that whatever meds can’t do only God himself can work out the rest and we need to keep believing that God made science and its meds for a reason. The world out there yes is crappy but we can only make it better by supporting our love ones at times like this. Best wishes

  20. What about a 7 year old with hallucinations and paranoia? Medication has calmed the hallucinations but not the fears and paranoia. She is afraid of our own home. I can’t seem to get the help I need to understand how to help her effectively. She also has ADHD in addition to the psychosis. Sometimes it seems like she can control it but the Dr says thats the ADHD. The self control is in new situations. Sometimes she is violent. Her younger brother is learning her behavior. We have been trying to get to a psychologist to see if a diagnosis can be reached that will qualify us for some helpful programs but recently discovered we can get that far with the State Insurance. Recommendations?

    Reply

  21. Here’s a new one for you. What do you do about a grown adult in their 60’s in your family who over the years stopped communicating with relatives, and siblings, then eventually and gotten to the point of having no friends, then stops speaking at all. Voluntarily mute. Wont have contact with her kids or grandkids. Relies on a spouse for everything and stays at home. Any ideas??? I’m worried about my mom and dont know what to do.

    Reply

  22. Really sad too hear all the diificulties you going thru. My wife was diagnosed with psychosis about two months ago. i went thru the most difficult time of my life. The signs were there, i just never picked up on them. Now after a lot of running around shes on some good meds, and shes doing well. She had the paranoia, delusions, accusing me of stuff (Hang in the Louise) Police were called.
    You have to see a psychatrist, not psycologist
    You pay a lot but its worth it

    Reply

  23. my younger brother has just turned 18 he was diagnosed with sychosis early this year after he tried to commit suicide. he as a cannibis user which they say cause the sickness for him he is soo hooked he craves for it. the doctors said his body is allergic to it but yet he never listens we put him in a rehab and he just ran away just to get the buzz. Before that he was transfered to a youth mental hospital to where he didnt feel comfortable and wanted to come home so we took him home only because we love hi and didnt want him feeling that way now things have worsened he has a imaginary girlfriend he talks to her twenty four seven in his room he locks him self up he never commuicates with us but he is forever talking whispering i never hear a clear sentence what he is saying he speaks it very fast and that he just does it all the time he is also very restless only if he takes he meds he sleeps but he trys to fight it to stay up and talk. This advice is very good and undastanding but yet it is me and my sister who is trying our best to make him better and we are both only under the age of 25 which is hard to understand what we can do and what phase we are in? We were thinking a mental hospital because he is getting aggressive and moody and just angry all the time he fights with his imaginary girl friend crys argues with her and beats himself up thinking he is hitting someone else 😦 it is very stressfull for us our mother had given up she couldnt cope with it and moved countries and left us here. We are now getting to the point where he is seriously freaking us out his personality changes into diffrent modes etc etc etc. Also he has diffrent voices its flippin scary no s%*% all we wantt is the best solution for my little brother to get the help he needs we just want the joyfull funny brother he use to be.:( please help me if you could. thanks

    Reply

  24. My mother is suffering from very severe psychosis,she dnt talk to us making false beleifs n talking to herself all day.I smetym gt angry to tl hr please dnt talk rubbish but nw i keep calm,talk to her swtly normaly me,my dad,my bro are very tense.I dnt cre what people say but i want my muma bck,i am getting tird i am terrible.She z takng sme drugs n slpng pill at ni8..suggest an effective medicine n how i treat her..i love my mum i wnt her bck:-(

    Reply

  26. I have a daughter who suffers from psychosis and I have been through hell and back. there is no support out there and the social care wants to take my daughter away because I question why should she have to be inpatient if she is secure at home and coping well. she can be managed at home with her treatment but they are forcing me to push her into hospital. she is very worried.
    and cries every day that why would put into this mad place

    Reply

  27. hey there my older brother just turned 18 is suffering with severe psychosis and believes the he can see dejavu he thinks that it isnt 2012 and we all older then what we acctually are he. threatens me and says that we all lieing to him and we set him up and we all know what he his going do before he does it. he doesnt trust any one but he has trusted me before but now he doesnt he is on medication and has been to a mental place but is now at home he believes he’s in reality and we are not i would explain more but dont want to be here all day please help me and my mum any suggeations would be helpfull thank you…

    Reply

  28. I am so happy I found this thread!

    I have read alot from various sites for my partner’s condition so I can help him manage it. I’m not a huge fan of the traditional way of medication only and locking them away. I am big on complementary therapies that can help such as CBT, hypnotherapy and anything else.

    My background is NLP and I teach communication & behaviour which helps our situation immensely so I want to put recommendations up for others that have helped us.

    1. Get help straight away! Understand that most local GPs are NOT TRAINED in mental health & therapy. They will give out meds and tell you to up the dosage if it gets worse but that’s it. Look for a GP who also specialises in this area for more info…..and look for a nice one. If they are rude and don’t listen never feel that it’s your fault. Doctor’s surgeries are revolving doors and in most cases you’re just a number!

    2. Do whatever you can to build trust with the person experiencing psychosis. Meet their needs but you MUST SET YOUR OWN BOUNDARIES of what you will and won’t put up with. If you are weak and accommodating you will lose the battle.

    Lower your voice tone when you mean business because it is more authorative, speaking in a high question tone can come across as passive and they won’t listen to you.

    3. Listen to their stories but don’t agree with them – this will just validate their beliefs. The more you/they discuss or think about it the bigger the ‘monster’ gets. Work to change the subject as much as you can or keep them busy if they keep going over the same material. Sometimes I just let him investigate whatever he needs to in the hope that he’ll find out that his paranoia is inconclusive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t……

    3. Let them sleep. This is your downtime too for recharging your batteries – go for a walk, call a friend (don’t talk about ‘it’, otherwise you’re feeding your own monster), watch a funny movie, play with an animal. Do anything that makes you smile.

    4. Keep them busy when they aren’t sleeping – we visit people, go for walks or drives, watch movies etc. Social activity is really important because the more they withdraw from the outside world the more confidence they lose and it’s harder to get them back.

    5. Get leverage. What I mean by this is maintain power over them because you hold the key to what they need.

    For example, my partner thinks I’m the only person in the world he can trust so doesn’t want to lose me. The leverage (power) I use with this is I make sure he takes care of himself, socialises, keeps active, gets the help he needs and focuses on the present moment. It ain’t always easy but I know that if I let him lie around the house watching TV all day it won’t help him.

    This may sound manipulative but you have to be strong and not let them manipulate you first. Otherwise you have no control over their actions and decisions which will cause them to go downhill.

    6. If you or someone else can take time off work to be there for them I recommend it. It gives you space to just focus on them. Look into getting a carer’s allowance/pension from your government if you can or working part time. It isn’t ideal but it can sustain you so you can step back for a little while to get a new perspective. Once you’ve got them in a good state you can then go back to work.

    7. Encourage them to set some goals. Don’t push it but plant a seed in their mind about creating a future. Giving them something new to look forward to changes their focus. I told my partner many times before this happened that if he wants to study something I’ll support him financially and in the past he’s brushed it off – lastnight he told my aunt that he is interested in studying. Inside I jumped for joy!

    8. Take care of yourself. Exercise, socialise, work out ways to make your life simpler, go to support group meetings, smile at the funny little things. I try to see the funny side of some of the things he does. Some people might find that cruel and sadistic but if I took it all so seriously I would send myself crazy! I don’t taunt or belittle him but I have a little giggle to myself when he wants to turn himself in to the police in his underwear….

    9. Keep having fun with them. Tiptoeing around them and being serious all the time creates an air of misery. This can compound the issue and they feel bad for bringing everyone else down. Keep laughing with movies, banter and jokes, stories and whatever else makes yours and their day!

    10. Be loving and patient. Stuff takes time so make decisions but don’t hold expectations. Otherwise you might be disappointed. Having said that never lose hope and NEVER let anyone tell you that this is what they’ll be like forever!

    Good luck 🙂

    Reply

  29. My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia 12 yrs ago. He hasn’t had any major problems for several years and is on a small dose of medication now, but isn’t working and really has no friends, just us, his family. We’ve tried different things to help him recover and I’ve read a lot of books and online. I recommend reading anything written by Dr Abram Hoffer, google him on the Internet and he has written many books. His protocol is large doses of Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin C and Omega 3’s, no processed foods, no sugar, no drugs. We went to see Dr Hoffer in 2003 but my son was hooked on cocaine at the time, so we didn’t have good luck then, but he’s clean now and taking the supplements and I think that has helped him a lot. A few years ago, I found out about the GAPS diet, (Gut and Psychology Syndrome). You can google Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride or Gaps diet for information on this. Dr Campbell-McBride cured her son of autism with this protocol, which is no processed foods, no sugar, lots of healing broths and whole foods, balancing the good and bad bacteria in the gut and detoxifying the body. This diet will help people with different diagnoses of mental illness, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, ocd and what these have in common is leaky gut syndrome, which comes from overuse of antibiotics among other things. Many people with mental issues have food allergies (gluten, dairy, eggs are common allergies for people with mental illness), gastrointestinal issues, malnutrition and toxicity. A couple of years ago, my son started seeing a naturopath familiar with celiac disease (gluten intolerance)and he’s been on a number of supplements since. He had had severe diarhea for 2 yrs and with the supplements, he was over that quite quickly. (I had taken him to a regular gi md that did some tests and then told us not to worry, he’s a healthy looking guy, just have him take some over the counter diarrhea medicine and stop worrying. Some doctor.
    Along with treating his leaky gut, his naturopath tested him for food allergies, he’s allergic to gluten, dairy, beef, and several other things. He checked his neurotransmitters and he was low in some of those. There has been a great improvement since we’ve been addressing his gi issues, cutting out the junk foods and allergens and supplementing with vitamins, herbs etc. He still has a way to go, but I really believe that getting the gi issues resolved and his body and brain nourished has been key to his improvement.

    Reply

  30. I have goen through too much with my mother..she is in control ana a bit ok now..she was smetyms violent shouting abt who i am and her false friends etc she talk to them all day nite..she do that nw too but too quietly n undrstnds that she have people around her..i was given a medicines i am tense to get her fit..people around us this society just knw to make fun of this..i feel vulnerable..i have been abashed smetimes..i care her i talk gently sweetly and like nthng happened..

    Reply

  31. I can empathise will all these comments. Help is so hard to get initially and the feeling of relief that someone believes you by giving your close one a correct diagnoses can feel like a weight being lifted . I had to get my son sectioned after about 8 months of increasingly odd behaviour , he was 19 and spent 9 wks in hospital . The medication helped gradually and after a year he seemed to be making good progress, the doctor reduced his doses of Sertraline and Olanzapine down slowly over a period of two yrs. Then a few weeks ago they finally stopped his medication altogether as he had shown no psychotic symptoms for 2 yrs. This weekend he has had a major relapse, he is paranoid, doesn’t trust anyone, we have had to move all electrical things from his room etc and are awaiting the arrival of his doctor in the hope they can persuade him to restart his medication(at the moment he probably thinks we are trying to trick him) .he might end up having to be hospitalised again . I really wish they hadn’t decided to take him off his medication in the first place as he’d been doing so well but I suppose we now know that the Illness had never really disappeared, it had just been successfully managed with medication .

    Reply

  32. My son is 26..has been bi polar/ocd for about 8 years…the first trigger was being bullied in college…he goes to a film school which has always been his love and passion..he has worked many well known actors over the years..to make a long story short..his so called friend made a movie about him to show at a film fest, in front of 300 people which made fun of his illness….He ended up in the hospital..Sad to say he has not been able to act or do any films since then…He recently had another set back ( in the hospital for 4 months this time) no meds would work for him…Is the a more natural approach…besides talk therapy.

    Thank you for your responce.
    God Bless!
    Sandy

    Reply

  33. My 29 yr old son was recently diagnosed with graves disease/ hyperthyroidism. We are on day five of his medications. He is suddenly showing signs of being in love with a man at work. He has been engaged to a lovely young lady for two years and has never shown signs of homosexiality. However now its all he talks about. Is this confusion or is he a homosexual man.

    Reply

  34. Dear Readers,

    Iam 32 years old and recently my mother who is 63 had a serious psychotic episode that has lasted over 6 monthes and doesnt seem to be going away. She has had severe family problems and also recently went through a divorce with my dad, which I believe has triggered the episode. However, It seems to be escalating and Iam worried. She saw a photo of a famous person who has died since 1994 and since then she has become obsessed. She believes that he and her had a relationship over 30 years ago (which might have been true) and that he has since been secretly following her and trying to trigger her memory in hopes of being part of her life again. She therefore believes that my father was secretly poisoning her all these years which triggered amnesia and thats why she didnt recall this man sooner. Furthermore, she believes that all the people in her life (from her landlord to her distant relatives) have tried in one way or another to keep her and this man apart. A few weeks after she started these thoughts she started believing he was sending her messages to meet her in Europe, so she picked up and left to go to our house in Europe. She believed he was there waiting for her. He has not of course showed up now six monthes (because he is dead), but she rationalizes this by saying that he is giving her time to recover from the shock that he is back into her life. I have tried everything to revive her from this fantasy. I have tried to go along with it but that didnt help, it kept her calm but not much else. Recently I have tried to emphasize and persuade her to go see a doctor but she has become volatile and very angry with me. Says Iam jealous of her happiness and that Iam the one who isnt well. She has also gone on a drastic diet and exercise plan and has lost over 45 pounds in efforts to become beautiful again for him. She recently believes he approached her at the park but because she hadnt seen him in so long she ignored him and now she hates herself for pushing him away. I dont know what to do! I cry everyday after I talk to her. My boyfriend thinks I have become depressed and he is right. Nothing seems to help and she refuses medical help of any kind. It is seriously affecting my state of mind, I cant sleep and Iam starting to go late to work, I cant focus on anything, Ive gained weight, Iam a mess. But honestly none of that matters, if only I could help her. Does anyone have any insight ??? please I need help :(!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi spoudea22,
      Perhaps try suggesting to your mom that she could see a doctor to help her with her exercise and diet plan. Let the doctor know ahead of time what is going on and maybe s/he could help find a reason to get her into a psychiatrist without making it seem like it’s about her delusions. Suggesting maybe the this new doctor (the psychiatrist) could help her to find her long lost love.

      Reply

  35. I came to this site looking for answers on how to not argue with my 19 yr old son who has schizophrenia. He was diagnosed 2 yrs ago with paranoid schizophrenia and concurrent disorder as he developed a chronic marijuana addiction. We want so much for our loved ones to see our version of reality and it’s hard to accept that their version is so irrational. Even though I accept that in his world he is a shaman healer that will one day rule the world, it’s hard when he’s constantly talking about it to limit my responses as I refuse to lie to him or act like I believe the delusion. Currently we are going through a tough spot over discipline as he is slowly losing control again and his verbal abuse is getting worst. Of course he doesn’t see it my way as he only sees what his reality will allow and that is that he is doing nothing wrong and I’m punishing him. As difficult as now seems to be I am still happy with the overall progress I have made. The first thing I had to do was get him off the marijuana. Not that he doesn’t still get some every now and then but he was smoking over a joint a day before he came to live with me a couple of months ago. The first couple of days were hell. He couldn’t understand that his anxiety was in fact drug withdrawal. To compensate it was visits to the doctor for clonazepam and then lorazepam which he abused. I threw it out. I listened to him complain how he couldn’t do it and how his anxiety level was through the roof and held my ground. When he’s calm he can admit that he didn’t think he could go without marijuana but now knows that he can. He toke himself off venlafaxine, an anti-depressant, a couple of weeks ago and me and his psychiatrist are ok with that. The day to day can be overwhelming just to get the little things accomplished. Between his stunted cognitive thinking and his delusions every task becomes a mountain. How do you teach someone that knows everything and has an ego the size of the universe? Patiently I guess. He can turn a 20 min study session into 2 hours of procrastination’s. He’s refusing to go to school to get his GED so I’m having to learn how to be a teacher at home. I’m trying to work on the small things first. He can’t go out in public with me without brushing his teeth and putting on clean cloths. I stopped doing his laundry and helped him do his first load. He now does it himself or has no clean underwear. I taught him how to use the timer on the stove so he can make himself food without worrying about the oven being left on. I don’t think any of these things would have been possible if he was still chronically smoking marijuana. Without it his paranoia is minimal and he does want to go out and be a part of nature. We got him a bicycle and he does enjoy getting out and testing his physical self. As I said huge ego. Of course in order to accomplish any of these day to day I have to control my own temper when faced with his delusions and temper tantrums because if I get upset then we just end up battling over everything. The last couple of days have been bad again for two reasons. He is not taking his clozapine as prescribed and he’s been drinking. I’m mentally trying to prepare myself for the next psychotic break. He’s losing control over his emotional outbursts and he’s becoming less rational and spending more time what I call in his head and he calls being spiritual. I wish that I could offer some advise to even one of the previous posts. I try very hard to follow Dr. Xavier Amador’s approach of using LEAP. Listen, Empathize, Agree and Partnership. Here’s the link to his book I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! http://www.xavieramador.org/
    For those who can’t get their loved one out of the home maybe try suggesting that, whomever their imaginary entity is, might enjoy seeing the park today. If they are arguing then a little break from each other might help them get along again. If agreeable please make yourself presentable before we go.
    As for taking their medications. I wish I knew the answer. Right now my son is taking 100 mg of clozapine instead of 300 mg after being off it completely for a week and that is only to stop the side affect of insomnia that he got from going off it. He takes his lithium with no complaint because he knows it is helping his white blood cell count and helps him sleep. He takes his abilify during the day because he notices it makes him be more awake.
    Good luck to everyone dealing with any form of psychosis in their life.

    Reply

  36. Hello
    My 18 year old brother is suffering from psycosis. It all started like this, he started waking up in the night saying random stories that weren’t real. He would see things hear things. We thought he was on drugs. And once he ran away from us thinking we wanted to hurt him. He wouldn’t eat homemade food he wouldnt come inside the house like if he was scared of something. He doesn’t trust anyone. He would say that we are a fake family. One day he got my dads keys took the car and left he had no idea where. We called the police station to report him. The next day they called us saying he was in a car accident thank god he was ok so after that the police noticed that he wasn’t acting normal they drug tested him then tooled him to a mental clinic a therapist saw him talke to him gave him medication (zyprexa) we brought him home & now he refuses to take his medicine he says “I’m fine I feel good” he spends his days & nights outside sometimes he goes inside his car and covers himself with a blanket still doesn’t eat homemade food, walks around. Refuses to take his medication. Doesn’t want to see a doctor or a therapist. Doesn’t want to shower or go out nor talk to us. We called the clinic & they said that my brother has to make his own appointment because his 18 & he can make his own decisions. My family doesn’t know what to do. We need help. Any advice

    Reply

    1. Wish I had some advice. Unfortunately he can refuse medications and appointments until he becomes a danger to himself or others. Depending on how bad his fear is of eating homemade food could possibly find out what his reasoning behind this is and suggest getting him tested for whatever it is he’s afraid he would have gotten from it. That may get him in the clinic to see a doctor. If he thinks your all fake he won’t trust you though. From the research I’ve done his body is producing a lot of dopamine and or serotonin so yes he feels good. Too good I guess. It’s like being high. Wishing you and your family all the best.

      Reply

      1. Thank you very much. The only food we will sometimes eat is fast food. My parents think his depress. He has 2 months like this. Do you have any idea how we should try to communicate with him or treat him? The medicine they gave him is called zyprexa will that medicine help him.

      2. I try very hard to follow Dr. Xavier Amador’s approach of using LEAP. Listen, Empathize, Agree and Partnership. Here’s the link to his book I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! http://www.xavieramador.org/
        This book helped me a lot to communicate with my son. Doesn’t help when it comes to getting him treatment. There’s also http://www.leapinstitute.org/
        I don’t know much about zyprexa. However my son was on it. He was using marijuana at the time so most medications weren’t working as they could have.
        http://www.nami.org/ should be able to help you find a way to get him treatment depending on how bad he is or gets.
        I’m only a parent, not a doctor but I’m here to listen if nothing else.

  37. My mother is going through her 3rd psychotic break. It will last at least a month long (if it’s anything like the previous two) and she refuses to get any help for it. She will not sign anything at all whenever we try to take her to get help. So no one locally will admit her in a hospital. I really blame ourselves because we have not gotten medicaid for her yet. I am in the process of doing so and still have yet to hear from anyone. So therefore have really no way of paying for it. She is living on retirement disability and had gotten turned down when we applied for social security disability. Of course after her recent visit to the family doctor, he urged us to try applying again since she has had three psychotic breaks since then. So we are going to have to live through this one with her, barricaded in our house so she can’t get out while we aren’t looking (she is always trying to walk down the middle of the road and talk to all of the neighbors).

    My dad is currently living with her, while me and my sister live at my house. We go over there and take shifts watching her but my sister and I seem to have the hardest time coping with her behavior. So, my dad is currently barricaded in the house with her. He has almost had a stroke trying to calm her down so she can take her medication at night. The doctor has taken her off of her anti-depressant completely and just advised us to give her mood stabilizers at night. When one mood stabilizer wouldn’t help her sleep, he increased the dosage to two. After I brought her in to see him, he increased it to three and suggested I drive to a local guidance center. The doctors here act as though they have never ever seen anyone behave like this. Of course she didn’t sign anything at the center despite my crying and pleading and trying different tactics, so we were turned away.

    Anyway, I really need advice on what to do. She babbles all day and all night to herself nonstop. She puts paper in the oven (we cut power to the oven), she “organizes” things in the house into ziplock bags. She is constantly trying to be a teacher again. She lost her teaching job three years ago which is what caused the psychotic breaks in the first place I assume. Also, she has just gone through menopause. I have almost called 911 when she became so manic acting that I thought she might hurt herself or that my dad my have a stroke trying to calm her down. He stopped me from calling, reminding me that we have no money to pay for it and that they would only send her back to us after a day or so. This is a nightmare. I can’t believe I went through it twice already but to go through it a third time is unbearable.

    No one seems to have any idea of what to do but ride this out for the next four weeks. Everytime I look this up on the internet, everyone is always talking about how they are having trouble “coping” with the fact that they had to take their loved one to the hospital due to a psychotic break. I don’t get to even hospitalize my mom. My dad has no job, so basically he is her nurse and so am I. He has an online business which pays for the house and everything. She watches tv all day long and we try not to upset her. This is our treatment for her. I don’t feel it’s professional. But no one will give me any ideas on what to do. We are waiting for her to be approved for social security and medicaid right now. But that will take weeks and by then she will be out of the psychosis and onto the next stage – which is almost worse because it is hatred and paranoia. and refusal to discuss what just happened to her.

    So any advice out there would be very helpful. Things we have tried:

    -getting custody of her (would take weeks, and probably won’t work out because she isn’t technically a danger to herself)
    -getting her admitted somewhere (she won’t sign anything. Nothing. no matter what you say.)
    -searching locally for state funded places to take her. I guess there are none.

    What do people do in situations like this? If we are to just ride this out again, are there any pointers on bringing her out of the psychosis sooner? There seems to be no getting through to her. I know I’m just suppose be calm around her and don’t confront her and all that. And she’s a victim and we are to be very supportive of her. But it is really hard not to resent her right now. Up until her first break, she was complaining about everything. Saying she wished my dad could make more money from his job so she could quit hers. Saying that she wished she had her own house (they always rented). So he bought her a house. Then we figured out a way so that she could quit her job. She cheated on him after all he’s done for her. She has always been so jealous and mean and has pushed all family and friends away. It is just us three (me, my dad, and my sister) and we are all she has

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry you are going through this with your mom. I really don’t know what advise to give you considering the financial situation. I hope that you are able to get her covered under medicaid soon so that you can get her treatment. I would look into getting custody even if it is in preparation of another break or how to cope once medicaid starts. It’s unfortunate but most of the time they are not admitted to hospital of their own free will. It’s loved ones having them involuntarily admitted as things have gotten to out of control. You can try this website: http://www.schizophrenia.com:8080/jiveforums/index.jspa?categoryID=1
      Someone may have some advise.

      Reply

  38. My brother is in a deep psychosis, the situation is critical, my familly needs help and it feels like the the medical system has little help to offer us, hes been hospitalized but every time they only “duct tape” the situation. He seems to be lost in a system that either doesnt have the means, or will to truly help. Does any one know of a foundation or charity or even a support group that can offer some sort of guidance? Were despratly afraid were going to lose him.

    Reply

  39. Thank you so much! I thought I should go ahead and update on everything. I’m doing a lot better now. I realized it was just me being fixated on my heart. I no longer am frustrated with it or scared. Thank you for the help, though. (:

    Reply

  40. Hey Im not sure what can be done in our position? it seems like the ansers to this is much of a muchness but my 19 year old brother is suffering from psychosis. He has ADHD and has been smoking marijuana for 4 years then got addicted to heroine now he is on a methadone program. He has come from such a great family we cant understand why he is like this? he now has a baby and has these psychotic episodes which terrify us all but we dont know what to do? we dont want to involve police as he will be so much worse.. He would never harm anyone but its just so damaging for a young child to have to witness her father acting like a lunatic. Im not sure what to do but hes been on that much medication, i just feel like he needs to be sectioned and locked away for a while but will any where do this?

    Reply

    1. Hi Sophie,
      Depending on where you live you can call the police and explain to them what the situation is. Ask if they have officers trained in dealing with this. These officers should be able to take him to the hospital for an evaluation. If not then google or search for emergency psychosis intervention for your area. where I live they have a crisis outreach and support team that I had to call to have my son involuntarily admitted to hospital. They were great with him and very understanding.

      Reply

  41. My ex is paranoid, and usually he keeps this under control, but three days ago, I now realise, he was becoming psychotic – ie, lost touch with reality, was overwhelmed by (and very, very angry about) the “conspiracies” he detects. He began talking about “defending himself” against people who say things about him – I have come to believe some of these things he hears are halucinations. Then he got angry and he broke up with me.

    I think he is slipping downhill because his elderly parents (with whom he lives) are about to be moved into sheltered housing, and though initially the authorities said he could go with them, they changed their minds. He will go on the council’s housing list but only gets priority once he is actually homeless, and even then there’s no guarantee of how long it’ll take till he’s rehoused.

    A friend offered him the use of a caravan for a few weeks but he is so suspicious of everyone, he’s likely to fall out with him – drop him like he dropped me (he does this all the time). And even if, as I suspect may happen, his parents decide to stay in their present place so he has a home, his father is very elderly and very ill, and once he passes on, the place will be too dear for them to rent any more. So he is facing bereavement and homelessness.

    I am in agonies missing him. Sometimes I feel such rage. Sometimes I feel sensible, and can see that there were too many problems, he’s too ill to be in a relationship, and anyway he rejected me. I can’t stand the pain of his frequent rejections. I have mental health problems too, and this is making me very ill.

    I can’t help someone who has rejected me. He wanted to go: I can’t go chasing after him yet again.

    Here’s my fantasy: he comes back, he gains insight into his paranoia, we support each other equally. If he needs time apart, he says so calmly, goes, and arranges a reunion (which he will initiate). I no longer tolerate put-downs or his not listening when I speak (I know some say “all men do that” but he does it to the extreme). He comes back to me, he understands how badly he’s hurt me, I understand it was due to his pain and not sheer unkindness, and we move on together.

    That won’t happen. He never goes back to the people he’s dropped.

    I told a worker at a mental-health Centre that he’d been talking about violence, even towards the Centre itself. The Centre is NHS funded, and so she will know what to do. That was the best thing to do. I can’t coax him back again, as that is destroying me (and isn’t really much good for him, either – teaching him to take me for granted). He won’t come back of his own accord. I have to grieve and get on with my life.

    So hard. I wish, I wish, I wish. But I have to live with the reality of it all. I love you so much. I wish it could have worked. It didn’t.

    Reply

  42. All of these histories and then some, have I experienced with my beautiful 32yo son. I need not recount, but my wife, his wife and his kind and devoted doctor and I did everything we could. I then turned to Christian Science – not for him, but for me. We had got him into a hospital and he refused treatment for the reasons set out on this page. I sat by his bed for hours saying nothing, but praying to know him as God knows him – perfect, undamaged and whole. Also to remind myself of the deep pain from which he was suffering. I kept repeating the Scientific Statement of Being in my mind … you really have to read Mrs Eddys book or speak to a practitioner to get the significance of it. It goes something like this ….”There is no Life, Truth, Intelligence or Substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and it’s infinite manifestation, for God is All, in All. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God and Man is his image and likeness. Therefore man is not material, he is Spiritual.”. Anyway, the next day I went to see him and I saw that his light was on … his room was usually always dark. At the doorway I said “Are you there *?” And I heard a crisp “Hi Dad!” His signature response. How long since I had heard this? He was sitting up in bed reading. He is much improved and continues to improve still. There is much to go. I know this is from left field, but it is true to the letter. I would never suggest that medication be given up. It is my consciousness that I am working on, not his. I cannot and must not trespass on his thinking. I hope this helps some of you through this
    great challenge. With heartfelt best wishes to you all from Australia.

    Reply

  43. My son is 22 and he started firstly talking about conspiracy theories / illuminati and annunaki arriving to save the earthlings from reptilians. I didn’t understand why he was believing this stuff and then realised that he was substance abusing. He has now been sectioned and refused to communicate at all for first 6 weeks. Now doesnt wish to have any contact with friends and family and has isolated himself in the institution except for others that havn’t been close to him. Myself and his family members are extremely concerned for his welfare as it seems that he may be released without any primary carer in place. The drs don’t communicate with us/family as he has insisted on keeping us away. It is the most scary experience of my life.

    Reply

  44. 2 weeks ago my gf had a episode were she thought I was trying to drug her and then maybe kill her il not exactly sure because we haven’t talked about what happened since when it was happening she broke up with me and we haven’t talked at all since. She has seasonal bipolar disorder and won’t take meds or see anyone about it, the situation has been extremely hard to deal for me because before I had this happen to me I didn’t really believe it could really happen, I was so shocked and hurt I didn’t know what to do. I have been doing research on the situation and realize she had a paranoid psychosis episode or maybe a persecutary episode.. What made the situation worse it was in front of her mom who knows she’s capable of having episodes similar to this, her mom did nothing but fuel the fire and asking me what poisons I have her daughter and where was the loaded gun at that I had hide in the car, she never tried to calm her down or help the situation, she just let it snowball it what happened. Anyway, so she claimed that I hid her water bottles she keeps in the car so she would be forced to drink a watered down ice and soda from earlier that day, which she picked up and drank on her own, we got into an argument about how fast she was driving(90-100 in a 60) and I yelled at her about the way she was talking to me, she instantly calmed down and said she was sorry and loved me. I was trying to calm down when we pulled up to a concert for her moms bday, I told her to go ahead and hop out and I would park the car since it was packed, she gave me a kiss said she loved me and was sorry again and went on in, I parked the car and when I went in I waited by the concession stand and a few mins later she came out of the bathroom with her mom, she had a weird look on her face and started shaking badly, this continued for a few mins and when I tried to ask her what was wrong she said don’t touch me and was acting very different, so I was trying to figure out if she should go to the hospital or what to do. She stopped shaking and we went into to the show and she sat by her mom and left a seat between them two and I to were I was sitting alone isolated, about 5 mins later she got into the empty chair and asked me to tell her truth and said she knew everything, I was very confused and didn’t understand, she asked me again I didn’t know what to say, she got up and went back to sitting by her mom. I didn’t know what to do so I got up and went outside because I wasn’t going to sit there like that, so during the intermission she text me and said come back inside so I did, when I walked in she hit me with it again telling me I have one last chance to tell her the truth, I didn’t know what to say I asked her what was going on and she just said one last chance to tell me, i didn’t know what to do so I stood there silent I was confused and worried, she demanded the keys and instantly said she would call the police to get her keys, I know something was really wrong then, but then she wanted me to watch the rest of the concert with them, so I did. At the end of it whenever we went to leave she said she was dropping me off at a friends house I can stay at, I was asking what was happening and she said everyone knows so her mom can tell me if she wants, we all got into the car and she wanted me to get in back, her mom grabbed the empty cup and asked what I poisoned her daughter with and where the gun was, it took me a few seconds to process what might be happening, when they kept talking about what my gf thought I tried to reason with them but know one would listen I told her to go to the hospital or police and get whatever tests done on herself and the cup if she wanted, she refused, driving 70 now in a 40 with no interjection from mom she told me don’t worry I won’t call the police on you and I just want you to pray for gods forgiveness! I was extremely shocked and upset and didn’t know what to do or say, when we arrived at my friends she seem to have gotten back to reality a lil but still believed what she thought happened, she tried to hug me when I was going in but I refused and was very hurt and confused still, when I got inside and was trying to process everything was when I thought she might have had an episode(she said she had a couple before) she the next day I sent my friend to get my stuff from her house and she was still saying I drugged her and my sister had called her and she was telling her the same thing. There are more little details to the story but I already fell like in ranting. I have done a lot of research and still kindve confused, I anyone knows how long this can last for or have anything similar happen to them please let me know!

    Reply

    1. Hi Andy, It sounds like your gf is in the grips of a psychotic episode. My guess would be that without treatment it can last for a long time. Her mom… I don’t know if it’s possible that she also has some sort of disorder or if she just believes what her daughter it saying. There is a forum that you can go to and post and get some support. It is: http://forum.schizophrenia.com/ You are not alone in this.

      Reply

  45. My mother is bipolar. She won’t take her medication. Usually at least once a year she goes psychotic. (In-between that her moods fluctuate, most of the time she is depressed)And it’s the most stressful thing ever. I can’t take it anymore. She gets extremely paranoid and hallucinates. The only thing that brings her out of it finally is if she takes her antipsychotic medication but getting her to take it is awful. She is mean and abusive. Getting her to see a doctor is just as hard. She has hurt herself before and others. She is like it right now. Just started. I dread having go through this yet again. I feel like I want to die so I don’t have to deal with it anymore. She gets like this and ruins her life and then we have to start again trying to get her sorted out just to have her do it again. I find it so hard to know what to do. She yells and screams about not wanting to take her medication but if she doesn’t she gets worse. Last year when it happened we took her to the hospital but they just gave her medication and sent her home. If I were to call an ambulance she would loose it. And right now she isn’t bad enough to call police. She isn’t actually doing anything to anyone right now she is just very paranoid and I get so scared because I don’t know what path to take. I am so ready to walk away. She won’t take her medication and keeps messing up her life because of it. She wont look after herself and she is seriously ruining my life. If it wasn’t for my husband I would have killed myself already. I am on edge all the time because of it anytime her moods start changing I am waiting for this to happen and just when I start to relax it happens again. Seeing a therapist myself doesn’t help because what is causing my anxiety and depression is out of my control. If this would stop happening I wouldn’t feel like this. But it’s never going to end.

    Reply

  46. I read a bit about psychosis and I am not sure of how to handle my situation. My husband believes that I am unfaithful. No matter what I do or what I say he does not believe me. He insists on having all my passwords and login details for my e-mail, facebook and so forth. He takes my phone and investigates it for hours on end and when he cannot find anything it makes him frustrated and he becomes violent.He won’t admit that there is nothing – he only says that I am to smart for him. A few weeks ago he believed I was hiding something from him – he does not know what, but I am hiding something. He made me undress and went through my clothing – seams and everything. We have been fighting since Thursday last week and if I ignore him in order to avoid fighting it aggravates him even more and threatens to hit me. On Sunday he pretended to commit suicide. Leaving all the empty pills boxes en so on the kitchen table and locking his bedroom door. I phoned the paramedics and after they talked to him told me that he does not want to go to the hospital. A few hours later he gave me back all my pills, so he did not take anything. I was sooo angry with him. I try and accommodate him by not adding the numbers back that he deleted and I deleted some of my social accounts as well but it still is not enough….

    Reply

    1. Hi Kris! First of all I’m so sorry for what you are going through. I know this pain as well as my husband has been going through similar things. Look up mixed delusional disorder. My husband is now on respiridone (spelling?) and he is now 80% better. Not a cure but I hope it helps and that you both are doing better now as I know you posted this long ago.

      Reply

  47. hi my name is Moya I’m 40yrs with 3 great children my partner of 11 yrs has been using the drug ice he started getting very violent & having very sick delusions about me & our 2 daughters having sex with the devil & animals me & the girls had to run away for our own safety he eventually was put in hospital & diagnosed with delusional psychosis & is having fortnightly injection a few yrs have gone by with not much trouble but it’s started all over again we don’t live together anymore cos of what he has done to me in the pAst we have had a beautiful son he is almost 2 but now he is saying the same sick things now about our son that I’m in a devil cult & giving my kids to the devil for sex I have told the police I’ve spoken to his mental health team I am soooo very scared of what he will do he keeps demanding to see the kids I have full custody of my 2 girls but I’m going to go for full custody of my son I know how dangers he is to all of us why I it so hard to get help its not fair that 4 of us have to live in fear cos of someone who has done this to themselves we all know how bad ice is please I need help

    Reply

    1. Moya, It sounds like you need a restraining order against him as well. Please keep the children away from him until something is done. Whatever it takes. This isn’t to be mean, but safe. your partner is not in a stable frame of mind and I fear he could hurt someone. Talk to the police about steps you need to take to get one.

      Reply

  48. hi !
    i m amreen a girl of 16 .I am very upset actually i m going through an unknown problem from the past 6 years i see a girl who really doesn’t exist i feel that she will take my body i don’t know i see her everywhere all the time i can’t tell my parents as they wouldn’t believe me is this psychosis??

    Reply

    1. Amreen, please try to talk to your parents about this and ask they take you to see a doctor who can access your situation. Let them know that you are concerned. It doesn’t sound like a normal experience, and only a doctor can help you make sense of it. Don’t worry to much about what others think, but insist on someone listening to you enough to get you the answers you need. Maybe even a school counselor can lead you in the right direction. Ask that you speak to them privately you have something personal to discuss, let them know you need help understanding this. That is what they do. If you have an aunt you can trust, an adult you admire for their trustworthiness to lead you. But please don’t wait to long because it will only scare you and worry you, that’s how it sounds to me in your post. Believe me, there is help for things such as these, don’t EVER suffer any longer than you have to, find someone to confide in for help always!

      Reply

  49. My girlfriend is 22. She’s been in the hospital for a week now. A little insight I won’t go to in to detail but in her head her father is not her father at times. He is hitler. He is a shoe bomber ( take off your shoes ). I’m not her boyfriend at times I’m a robot. The illuminati is after her. Her phone is tapped. Her house is being set up. There is a bomb in the house. Somethin in the walls. Drugs in the air,water, food.unopened cigarettes are laced with heroin… She’s been acting a little distant for a month claiming I cheated on her. Which I did not. A week ago this all began when she really started going off on everything I listed above. She didn’t really sleep the past two weeks before she was admitted.i don’t really know what else to say. She was diagnosed as bipolar and has ADHD since she was younger.. Maybe she fell off her prescription regiment Who Knows. She hasn’t really gotten better the past week. I’m a young man and I have tried to talk to a lot of people but no one is going through the same thing I am and it hurts. I’m in tears writing this.i love her and do not know what to do with myself. I can’t eat I can’t sleep I’ve thrown up 3 of the past 5 days.. I have been praying and have asked many people to pray for her.. I’m scared and lonely and sad and mad I don’t know if it’s my best interest to move forward with her but I love her and i am trying to educate myself on what I would be dealing with if I were to stay. I am lost. Help if you want to reach me my email is colomboandpilalas@gmail.com…— how can something so bad happen to people that we love with no explanation .love you becca

    Reply

    1. Luke, I read your email. You sound like a very caring person. You are dealing with a lot that is a fact. It does sound like she has Bi-polar or Schizophrenia. Please know, there are medications to help people with these brain disorders and they CAN live normal lives. Yes, I have seen it myself. I don’t have it, but I do know people who have it and life does get better and go on. She will need medications. There are many different medications out there the doctor may prescribe. Remember, please, that if one doesn’t work or has to many side affects, then the doctor will switch her onto another one that may work better. Its trial and error. If one doesn’t work for awhile, the doctor has others to try. Many people have had to try a few different ones before they find the “fit” for them. When they find the one that works for her, she’ll be ok. I’m telling you this, she will be ok. Try not to obsess about all her accusations, it happens with these disorders. Once she has found the medication that works for her, do not take for granted she is instantly better and then quit taking them. she will need to stay on them unless under the advice of a doctor does she change that. This is a scary time for her to and your love and support will help her tremendously. Even if she is mean to you while she’s getting better, its only words, let it roll off your back. Calmly reassure her, don’t argue. When she’s better you can talk more. A good thing to do is for her also to see a talk counselor, I had a friend who also went through cognitive therapy (talk therapy) with their therapist once to twice per week and it was miraculous combined with the right meds. That was done after the medication stabilized him. Take it one day at a time, do a lot of online research about her diagnosis through REPUTABLE sites. And also, you have to remain strong for yourself and her so try not to stress, make sure your health is being taken care of to and thank God when you see him move in your direction. I read that you pray yourself. Have the faith that God will assist in her healing should be good cause for you not to worry as much, then you’ll be lead in the right direction.

      Reply

      1. Dear Connie,

        I just read your e-mail to Luke and your words are inspiring.Here’s a bit of our story. Our Son (29) was diagnosed with Psychosis on Nov 2nd. Hearing and seeing things, people after him, paranoid,etc! It seemed to come on suddenly as he first started hearing voices in late June…four months of odd behavior until we had him 51/50. Sent home with seroquel. We noticed an improvement over the first eight to nine days…400 mg per day.Great appetite, laughing, drawing, etc. Around the 10th day….his appetite decreased, became easily agitated…then a full blown episode. It was frightening to see how this Phychosis took over.How it pained him so with fear that he was going to die that night. It was the hardest night of my life…I felt ill. He ended up running away the next night at midnight …broke the screen out of his bedroom window and was gone……He was picked up by the Police the following day as someone reported a young man walking like a Zombie was on a hiking trail. He had walked 9 miles that night…in the cold. Police took him to a Hospital Phych ward as the answers he gave to the questions asked….made no sense. He has been in this Hospital for 14 days.I am so pleased with the staff. I received a call today from our Sons Dr. letting me know that he seems to be regressing in progress. Acting a bit
        paranoid, not attending group class with the others. Recommended he stay a few more days with an adjustment to a higher mg. of Seroquel. I called our Son this evening to see if he would like us to bring him Pizza and vist tomorrow…he said “yes” that would be great. This was per his Dr.s request.
        My son also let me know tonight that once he’s out…he plans on going Camping by himself for a little vacation. This, of course, is making me a nervous wreck. I will be calling his Dr. tomorrow as I cannot have him walking the streets, especially in the mountains with no direction and no Meds…..I’m really scarred for him. Our whole family is still in shock at what has happened to our Son and we truly (like all other families)want the best and to keep our kids safe….I sometimes feel really defeated and yet know that I MUST be strong for our
        Son….
        I’m hoping he wants to simply get away for a few days after being locked up….yet, in my heart I believe he wants to run…

        Any advise from anyone who’s family member may be on the streets or wanting to run…..?

        Sincerely,Pamela

  50. Im terrified that i may be the cause of my mother in laws sudden psychosis. Her son and i have been together for a little under 4 yrs and me and her have had our ups and downs, but something snapped when my fiancee decided he was going to live with me and no longer with her. All the sudden i was stealing tge fsmilies identities and taking out life insurance policies on them all and collecting the checks from the policy. Also according to her she has “proof”of this ( which turns out to be hospital pamphlets) but that was her prof that i was doing this. During a recent hospital stay she accused the staff of stealing her jewelry, and lighters and her other important paperwork (ss card, bank cards, identification card and such) she then was telling my fiancee to either come home or she was going to have him put in jail( which she did call his probation officer and have him violated) on nov. 19 2014 my fiancee and i had her marchment acted where they took her to the center for drug free living. They then proceeded to transfer her to florida hospital south behavioural unit. We had thought that maybe rest and medications would bring her back to herself but daily my fiancee gets calls in which she tells him he has to “drive the car she bought him to the center for drug free living and check himself into rehab or she is going to put him into federal prison” because in her mind i have convinced my fiancee to assume another identity in order to baker act her. Which plain as day all the paperwork has his name on it. She then calls other people in the house and tells them to undermine my fuancee and not listen to him or she tells them she is getting released from the hospital and comes up with elaborate escape plans to get away from the hospital and when rent is still collected and noone shows up to help in her plotted “escape” she then calls my fiancee and tells him how much she hates him and doesnt love him oe how he was a mistake and just basically terrorizes him daily and again it all surrounds “holly (me) is doing this the fbi is coming for holly stay away from holly or il take your car if your on hollys side then you dont love me. She also is telling everyine that for the last 4 years i have been drugging my fiancee and her. Otherwise he wouldnt love me. I had to be dosing them daily otherwise they would realize that “i really dont love my fiancee im just waiting for his grandmother to die and get his inheritance”( which btw as it stands right now my trust just matured i dont need his grandmothers money) and it wont stop she is reading things in the newspaper and saying that its proof that i was stealing their identities. . Someone please i could really use some advice…

    Reply

    1. Holly, only time and the right medications can help unless the doctors diagnose her with schizophrenia or something. My girlfriend was away for 2 weeks and it was very hard for me. I suggest prayers and just doing the next thing with your time wether it’s the laundry making the bed going on a walk,etc… There’s nothing you can do sweetie. Trust me i don’t know why this happens to people we love.. Not sure if you love her but she is in your life. Every situation is different and god has a plan I know it is difficult to deal with I never had seen anythig like it either til about a month ago. Time heals all. I suggest you ask people to pray and you yourself pray with your soon to be husband.

      Reply

    2. Holly, you didn’t mention how old your mother in law is. But it sounds to me its more like dementia/Alzheimer’s. Other mental illnesses don’t show up to late in life other than that one. The others are much earlier onsets. Of course extreme stress can bring on some psychosis as could some medications. but she sounds like she is paranoid and delusional, which can happen in Alzheimer’s because my own mother suffered from it. Do not internalize the things she says, remember it is psychosis and it cant be rationalized, its random paranoia. Getting yourself upset about what she says will only cause you grief and she needs therapy. I would reassure her that both of you still love her no matter what, and assure her repeatedly. do not argue with her regarding her irrational thoughts, because she wont be able to rationalize logic either right now. Arguing also just makes more stress. She absolutely needs evaluated by a psychiatrist. She needs a great medical checkup looking for any nutritional deficiencies, and what medications she was on prior to her psychosis. (sometimes that can cause onset of problems)You may also find her reasonable at times and then back to the same behavior. Changing medications often was what we ended up doing because one doesn’t work for everyone, we had to find what worked for her, she needs to try different therapies as well. That’s what happens in degenerative brain disorders, that’s what happened to my mother. If she accused someone of taking something, it was because she didn’t remember putting it somewhere, usually hiding it in fear of someone taking her things. Did anyone take them..? No. She just thought so. We would always reassure her and help her look for her things (sometimes we’d find them, sometimes we didn’t)most times we knew we never would but we tried to appease her. We loved her with all our hearts and we tried to comfort her to the end with all our love and empathy. It wasn’t reciprocated much, but we had to understand that wasn’t like her prior to her disorder and we loved her anyways and always. At times like these the family member really needs consistency, familiar and comforting surroundings and loved ones for support because its a scary thing to be happening to them. Keep yourself strong also, don’t fall prey to the disorder as well. God bless you and your family.

      Reply

  51. Hi my boyfriend is goog through this at the moment I’ve I lu been with him for about a year and this is the first time I have ever witnessed anything like this, I knew nothing about psychosis and I still feel like I don’t really understand what’s going on, I’m really calm with him and show him lots of love and he says I’m really helping him, he seems fine most of the day but when it gets later on in the evening sort of bed time he says things that make no sense to me I just listen to him and help him relax and go to sleep, i know he has had this happen before a lot worse than this time, I just want him to get better and be back to his self! I was just looking on here cause I want to help him and understand it a bit more!

    Reply

  52. My son is in the midst of a serious psychotic episode. Never had one before, except the night terrors that he has experienced throughout his life now seem strikingly similar. We live in NY. He had seemingly overcome a heroin addiction (10 months) and wanted to get out of our home town and see someplace different. We planned a trip to San Francisco for him by bus, as he’s afraid to fly. Arranged hostels, he seemed excited and we were excited for him. He’s had anxiety his whole life, cycled different meds. None ever worked so he’s eventually stop. His first night in San Fran, something happened at the hostel (not exactly sure what) He ran away, wandering the streets of San Fran. Called me hysterical, I could tell he was under the influence of something. I believe he got some cheap street stuff that has induced this crazy psychosis in him. He got arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and was held overnight. He called me when he got out and it was hell trying to calmly coach him to a motel. He is hearing voices, people calling his name…sending me insane text messages. I have no idea what to do. It’s heartbreaking. He hasn’t responded to me in about 8 hours now. I don’t know if I can or should have him hospitalized there or try to get him home. In his current condition, I don’t even know if we could make through a bus/train trip. Anybody know about resources in or near San Fran/Dublin/Pleasanton CA? If I call the cops will them take him to a psych ward or just let him suffer psychosis in a cell? Any insight appreciated.

    Reply

  53. Hello, everyone. My husband of 12 years, who I have three children with, had a psychotic episode last August (2014). It was the first time anything like this happened. He had suffered some mild depression prior to this episode. A lot of stressful stuff happened, and I believe he had what people used to call a nervous breakdown. He left on a Sunday morning to go to the park, and I didn’t hear from him until the next morning. He was in the Bronx, NY, we live in Cleveland, calling from a pay phone, telling me that he was in the Bronx, couldn’t remember how he got there, and that I needed to come pick him up. I FREAKED out and told him to call an ambulance. I thought someone had kidnapped him, or that he got hurt on the head, had a brain tumor, who knew. He was acting a little strange and more agitated than normal before he left, but I never thought he would “run away from home”. He was hospitalized in NY, in a hospital that closely resembled what I imagine a hospital in hell might be like. Somehow, his mother and I talked his Dr. there into letting him come home with us, under the promise of us taking him directly to a hospital in Cleveland. We drove him home. The most terrifying 10 hours of my life, as he was now in full psychosis which was exacerbated by not eating or sleeping. Long story short, he was hospitalized here in Cleveland. Diagnosed as bipolar I. Medicated, put on a three day hold in the hospital, and only released after I insisted he be. It was a while after he came home that things got back to normal. Oh, hell, they still aren’t normal. He’s not the same person he was Now I’m not saying this fix is for everyone dealing with psychosis, but we have really focused on natural supplementation, nutrition, and sleep schedule to help eliminate the risk for a return of the psychosis. Krill oil is one supplement he takes, which is said to prevent psychosis. He is also taking a probiotic supplement, which helps the beneficial bacteria in the “gut”. Many studies are showing a direct connection to our “gut” and our brain health. If you are interested in this just type “brain/gut connection” in a google search. Getting the right nutrition and supplement can really help people with psychological issues. I hope this helps someone. God speed!

    Reply

  54. My wife is suffering from Psychosis and delusions. Been 8-9 months and she still believes in them, and is sure they are real and she doesn’t need any help. We have been seeing a a doctor, but every time she goes and sees him, its like a week of hell afterwards.

    I have no clue how to handle this anymore. Anyway to move forward seems bleak. Will like if someone can share how they dealt with their loved ones.

    Reply

  55. My story begins with my bf going to the phyche ward because his mom took him there for extreme delusions of aliens behind her head, the devil being on her porch and 666 taking over the world!

    In my case he always had delusions that I was with other men and he would fight shadows outside my front door thinking he was protecting me. Or he beieved I was an alien or the devil.

    Anyways one morning I woke up had a bath and my ex stabbed me. Luckily I had self defense training particularly in knife fighting so I wasnt seriously to injured.

    Its very difficult to think that he was so incapable of controlling his behavior but people who are in drug induced psychosis tend to be very irrational.

    Reply

  56. After reading so many stories relating to psychosis, I saw hope for my son’s illness even though I never know the ending till I walk through with him. Now I knew that we are not alone, I’m not so depressed. This site really helps, I start to understand more about this illness now.
    Thank all of u for sharing.

    Reply

  57. My son has psychosis last oct till now, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Now that I found this site knowing that we are not alone, I saw hope. Thanks all for sharing , those experiences really help me to understand more.
    Seriously one lesson I learnt, cannot stop medications , the relapse is horrifying but people with psychosis love to quit med when they think they are ok. This is tough to deal with.

    Reply

  58. I hope someone reads this and has some insight. I am married to a wonderful man, who is beyond caring. He is by far, the nicest man, the most patient man, and the best father I have ever met. My fairytale was right before my eyes, when I met him by chance, on a beautiful sun filled day at a racetrack. Love at first? Absolutely!
    Our relationship blossomed so quickly as if we had known eachother our whole lives. We laugh, we touch, we share, we are in love.
    Everything I had gone through, made sense, when I met him. He was my reward, he was my knight in shining armor! I finally felt like a princess, being swooped off my feet.
    In the smack dab middle of my fairytale, I got the low down on the “ex.” My man gave me all the information, let me read court documents, emails, therapy reports and then said softly, almost in tears,”I love you but this is my situation and before we go further, I will understand if you leave.”
    Of course I told him he was ridiculous and I not only loved him but his beautiful 3 year old daughter. I was emotionally and mentally invested. I loved this man and no one was going to scare me off!
    3 years later, I’m still just as much in love with my man as I was when I met him. We are just both mentally and physically exhausted! Our nightmares name we share, is the “EX”
    Over the last two years we have had his daughter, full time. I can count on my hands how many visits the “ex” has had with her own daughter! February 12th 2013, we headed out to pick up his daughter from preschool. When we got there we didn’t see her anywhere!!! The teacher saw our panic and pointed her finger to a child that I couldn’t make out. From the back this child was clearly a boy with frail scrawny legs, not my beautiful long blonde hair rambunctious child who was always running around!? As the child turned around, my eyes glimpsed a sad little child, with dark circles under her eyes and a shaved head, where blonde beautiful long hair once hung. It was his daughter! What had happened? His “ex” had a manic low and shaved her daughter’s hair off! Shortly after she was diagnosed with delusional disorder Persecutory type and histrionic personality disorder, with ADHD. She has to have a supervisor to see her daughter. Over the years the emails have accused us from child abuse to buying her boyfriend a new truck with infrared cameras to video their sex acts. She has contacted the FBI, she has told them my man impersonates doctors and police officers. Last month she declared her daughter had not one genetic disease but rather seven different types! My step daughters pediatrician discharged her as a patient, after 6 years of being with her, because the ex has sent so many emails and called so many times, they feel she is a liability.
    We have dealt with everything she has thrown at us. We have lost everything materialistically possible. She has destroyed us financially and I feel she is trying to destroy us mentally and emotionally.
    The reason I’m posting is she sent a new text message to me. She states “they” told her “he” is going to be charged with homicide and I should investigate the lawyers.
    Then a second text saying:
    He is being set up and tricked.
    Do I take this seriously? Do I call the police? Has she finally fallen off her rocker completely?
    Is she a threat to us? I have a son stationed in Colorado but I do have a 13 year old daughter at home. I am worried about our safety.

    Reply

  59. I can relate to a lot of what is posted, My daughter who is 33 is schizophrenic, in the beginning it was ADD.. then ADHD and she has always been taking meds. The problem is that she is stubborn and does not want to take her meds at one point in time, She is in denial. She was staying with me at one point in time and then she was staying with a family Member (big mistake) I dont think anyone can understand what she goes thru it hurts and angers me that my family look at her as if she is different. She is a loving girl and has a heart of gold. She recently went off her meds for about a month as she was not staying with me.. this lead to 2 hospital visits for 5 days each time. They also upped her dosage of meds too. To watch her pace back and forth is one thing, to see her look at you like you were not there is another thing. My heart goes out to anyone of you who is going thru the same thing that (We) are going thru the one thing I always tell my daughter is that I love her no matter what. It is heartbreaking and sad but I feel that as long as I can get to her and take care of her as best as I can somewhere there is hope. May god bless each and every one of you for I can relate to what your going thru.

    Reply

    1. Dear “Ann”:
      I’m replying to your post ONLY because of how recently you wrote. Regarding your 33year old daughter, who was before diagnosed with so-called “ADD”, & “ADHD”, and is now supposedly “schizophrenic”, and has “always been taking meds” -well, WOW!. That must mean she’s been on these “meds” for 20 years or more. Do you, or her, or even her doctors know ALL the “meds” she’s been on over the years? I don’t think you really do know ALL the different “meds” she’s been on, do you? No, I’m not saying there’s nothing “wrong” with your daughter. But *YOU* need to understand that the quack shrinks called “psychiatrists” are nothing more than DRUG PUSHERS. The can only write prescriptions for drugs which they CLAIM will “help”, but the drugs almost always do more harm than good, especially in the long term. And, you say how she has gone on & off the meds, right? That’s often worse than not taking them at all. No, I’m not saying she shouldn’t be on ANY meds, or that there’s “nothing wrong with her.” What I AM saying is that you seem to have far too much faith in Dr.s and DRUGS. And far too little real knowledge and education about how dangerous these drugs really ARE, and about over grossly OVER-prescribed they are. Based on MY personal, 40+ year experiences, and those of many of my friends, and other people I know, psychiatry and it’s drugs USUALLY does far more harm than good. I’d strongly suggest you get a copy of Dr.Peter Breggin’s book “Toxic Psychiatry”, and begin a REAL education….
      Best wishes….

      Reply

  60. Hello..I was very much relate from those comment coz I experienced that I’m my sister..it was so hard at first and every one in the family was so worry what should we do and what approach we all made to make her seek professional assistance ..it is true that we need to assure them that they wll be in good hand..the most important was the full support and understanding of family..

    Reply

  61. Someone please help me.

    For a very long time now my brother has been dealing with psychosis. He has been hospitalized twice and refuses to take medicine. He was diagnosed when he was 18 and is now 27. We’ve been dealing with this for so long and I really can’t take this anymore. He talks about the bible non-stop, I can’t even have a conversation with him without him connecting something to the bible or god,and he’s paranoid. He looks under the bed and my closet to see if there’s anyone around. He thinks people watch him from the tv and the walls. He drinks lots of alcohol and smoke weed. The doctors and his therapist have even told him not to drink but he does it anyway. The list can go on but my mother and I have been trying our best to give him help but he doesn’t want us to help him. He’s not seeing any therapists at the moment either. I’m going to college soon and I can’t have my brother living with my mom until I graduate. I really want someone to tell me how to get him back on meds, maybe a facility sounds good. It really hurts to see my brother like this.

    Reply

  62. My husband of 35 years is a very intelligent man He loves discussing politics and is very aware of what is going on in our government he has almost completed a manuscript that he is trying to have a publishing agent interested in it. It is called “Iranxiety”. A lot of research was put into writing this. It is also about pro Israel. Since the conception he has beliefs that Israeli forces are trying to poison him. He has been bleeding when he urinates and has been told by doctors that it is due to the scarring of his bladder when they removed a cancer tumor. He hides his mess. Carries them with us when we leave. He has put an alarm system in. He has chain locks on all doors. He whispers to me sometimes so “they” don’t hear. He is 85 years old. I am 79. I cannot keep it together anymore. His doc wants to set him up with a physcoligist. He says he’s not crazy and refuses to go. I am so tired of pretending to believe it too. I am ready to just let him go on with the idea someone is out to kill him. Margie

    Reply

  63. My wife is in the middle of her 5th major episode in 11 years. Her doctors are resisting hospitalization but were 3 weeks in and all they’ve managed so far is to control the mania, but the psychosis is still in full swing. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to function. She keeps waking me up at 4am insisting I’m not in bed, and demanding to know where I’ve been. I find it hard to not argue the delusions when it comes to stuff like that.

    Reply

Leave a comment