Schizophrenia

[mrsjason]

My 15 year old (step) nephew is currently in the hospital and the schizophrenia diagnosis is being thrown around. He has been in a state of psychosis for a little over 48 hours now. They are not sure if his state is temporary or if this will be permanent. Right now he has completely lost touch with reality.

To be honest, this situation is scary considering the events in CT. By no means am I staying his is capable of shooting up a Kindergarten class but the events are a reminder of how serious mental health issues are.

Ugh. I feel for him. I feel for my brother's family. This has got to be beyond hard. They are still trying to level my nephew out and running a series of tests. Initially when my nephew went off the deep end a few days back my bro and my SIL assumed he was on some sort of drugs. The hospital did a drug screen and no drugs were in his system.......scary.

I just feel......broken? I have know this kid since he was 1.5 years old and for the most part he is a well adjusted, attractive, well liked kid. However, this *potential* diagnosis doesn't surprise me. Over the few years he has had episodes that come out of the blue so now things are starting to make sense.

[cop]

I am so sorry, Kathy. That is such a scary diagnosis for you nephew and family to be facing. I hope that they are able to start him on a course of treatment that gets his illness under control.

[jen812]

I'm sorry too. I'm glad to hear he's getting the help he needs. It's always tough to hear when a child has a serious problem. I find a little bit of relief knowing they were able to help before he hurt himself or others. Hugs to you & your family.

[mrsjason]

Thanks And you're right Jen, it is slightly reassuring that he is in the process of getting the help he needs. I am just concerned for the future. I mean, I am not educated on the condition but I don't know how functional he will be in the long term. And even with medication, will it be a sure thing he never loses it like he has now? He behavior was/is beyond bizarre and who knows what could have happened has my bro and SIL not got him to the hospital ASAP.

But on a slightly less serious note, I wonder if he can get regulated out if he will ever been able to go on to have a "normal" life. I am guessing no?

I guess time will tell. Man, my bro and SIL must be out of their minds with worry about him.

[mrsjason]

Dec 15, 2012 22:13:59 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I would advise your brother and his wife to get therapy. It's super stressful to undergo a diagnosis like this, And also the every day living with it. It gets overwhelming.

Also, I had to deal specifically with being bitter that my friends had normal kids. Also, dealing with the advise well meaning people would give me, that obviously didn't apply.

Thanks for your reply. I agree they need therapy. From what I have heard (right now my info comes from my mom and dad, I don't want to bother them) tensions have been high and it's been super stressful.

[jen812]

Dec 15, 2012 22:04:35 GMT -5 mrsjason said:

Thanks And you're right Jen, it is slightly reassuring that he is in the process of getting the help he needs. I am just concerned for the future. I mean, I am not educated on the condition but I don't know how functional he will be in the long term. And even with medication, will it be a sure thing he never loses it like he has now? He behavior was/is beyond bizarre and who knows what could have happened has my bro and SIL not got him to the hospital ASAP.

But on a slightly less serious note, I wonder if he can get regulated out if he will ever been able to go on to have a "normal" life. I am guessing no?

I guess time will tell. Man, my bro and SIL must be out of their minds with worry about him.

I don't know much about the condition either, but I would assume like any other mental illness his medications will need to be monitored very closely. It may take some time to find the right drug & dosage. Over time, that may need to change or be adjusted.

In my mind, it makes sense to compare it to diabetes. Something that needs attention every day, but becomes so routine & manageable over time.

Now that your brother & his family are aware of his condition, I'm sure they will become highly educated on the disease. They will be on the lookout for signs that he may need more help, they will learn what to do & how to react to an episode.

I'm sure tensions are high with them. It's not easy to digest a life long diagnosis. Maybe you could send them a message saying you're here for them & are willing to help/listen/whatever as soon as they have time to talk.

[tashaandsage]

I am so very sorry to hear what your family is going through. I can only imagine as a parent how difficult this must be for them.

[sara76]

Oh Kathy that's terrible
My nephew in NY was just diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and I suppose its similar in that its a lifelong disease that can be controlled with the proper use of meds, but mental illness carries such a stigma, especially today, that it must make it even harder for a parent to seek out support in friends. I can't imagine the kind of stress and worry on them right now. They'll be in my thoughts.

[aegis2005]

Sending T&P's to your brother's family in the days, weeks, months and years to come. I have a family member that suffers from mental illness and I hate the stigma associated with it; hate how it makes the person feel that they're always "broken" when that isn't the case. (((hugs)))

[mrsjason]

Thanks everyone. You guys are right, there is such a stigma associated with mental illness. I debated even posting this post, but I am a pretty open person by nature. I am worried about my nephew but definitely not ashamed.

I hope this is an easy thing for my bro and my SIL to adjust to. But I spent a majority of last night reading blogs written by parents of children with schizophrenia, and while there were a few hopeful stories, most of them seem to filled with heartbreak, stress, emotional and financial troubles among other things. It's scary to think of the long road ahead of my brother's family. But at this point, all they can do is take it day by day and see where this illness takes them. These last few days have been an eye opening experience. I never really thought of the "real" troubles that are associated with mental illness.

Oh, and I just spoke with my mom and there is not any improvement with my nephew

[mrsjason]

Dec 16, 2012 14:36:15 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

Do they have any other children?

Yes. Ugh.

My SIL has a 24 year old daughter who has a 6 year old son who is autistic......and not very high functioning either. Both live with my SIL and bro.

My SIL also has a 17 year old daughter who is excelling in school, involved in sports, is popular in HS, and generally doing well.

My nephew who is in the hospital is a good kid too. He is VERY intelligent. He has quite a bit of friends but has gotten into trouble here and there unfortunately.

[moonstone523]

My aunt is schizophrenic, so I know first hand how this illness can effect a person and their family. If you have any questions, you can PM me.

It really is a unfortunate and sad illness, but with proper medication it can be stabilized.

[jen812]

I just saw this article & found it interesting.

depts.washington.edu/mhreport/facts_violence.php