Welcome!  I'm glad you found this site -- you will get great support here.  I am a 50 yr old woman who suffered from sz for almost 30 years before going to a psychiatrist and being diagnosed.  And I have made great strides over the past few years.  I am feeling better than I ever have, due in great part to Zyprexa, I must admit.  But a lot of effort has gone into it, too.

How wonderful that you are a concerned mother who loves her son.  I'm glad you accepting him "as is" but hoping for a better future.  It is out there! 

Best wishes,

Carolyn

I have a son that was diagnosed at age 21 after being misunderstood since age 19.  He was a nightmare to live with after going away to college with a scholarship.  He had a brilliant future as he was an honor student and key club doing earning letters and pins in golf and bowling.  He worked all through high school and kept his average but, started missing school in the last year.  He still went away to college after he moved out with friends, he did not want to keep contact with me.  But, after the first year, he came home a different son.  I did not know him and his anger was unbelievable.  He would no longer work and he was not able to return to school in the fall as he was not rational.  I could not get him to a doctor and did not understand, thinking it was drugs and drinking at college that caused this behavior.  It was not until he turned 20 that fall that he was tricked into going to the hospital to see his father but, it was really he that needed treatment.  He was tramatized by the way he was restrained and kept for 12 hours before moving him to a mental facility.  He still blames the hospital for the way he is now.  He was misdiagnosed as a drug related problem and sent out on the street after he was advised his rights and he refused treatment.  It was another 6 months his conditioned worsened as if that was posible, but, now, he was finally, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and was told that primary was the illness, secondary was the street drugs.  He, too, was self medicating, but, we did not understand.  He was in the mental hospital for 34 days and still refused treatment and fought to get out.  This has been an on going process of on and off medications.  That was in the year 2002 after graduating high school in 2000.  He is now, 27 years old and has run away to another state with the help of so called counselors or case workers that say he has "rights".  Yes, he has the right to refuse medications and programs that will help him, and then, when, he finally, is taking the medications, the staff at assisted living facilities would not bother to give him his meds or take them away abruptly, for some poor excuse, but, the damage was already done, and he would go into another relapse.  He has spiraled  down so far and seems to be able to run from one county to another before he can become stable.  He has a payee, but, they say he has "rights" and they give him all his money at the first of the month and it is gone within the hour.  Therefore, he is left, to beg borrow and steal, yes, we have been in court.  It is a terrible thing and if someone would only recognize that people that are disabled and have payees because they can not handle their own money, that maybe they are not able to make decisions such as putting them in a situation where they are away from home in another state, and at the mercy of what ever agency is there to see to it that he gets medical attention and is taken care of by making sure they have given him his medication daily.  It is up to him to take his meds at night and on weekends, and thank GOD he has an agency that sees to it that he gets his medication daily.  In this state, he was left on his own and maybe, a visit from his case manager, who would not talk to you, as he has not signed a release of information for you to be in the loop!  That does not keep one from giving them all the information that you can in order to make sure their patient is getting the correct treatment.  Yes, going from one hospital in one county with different doctors causes a change in medications given and therefore, the patient can not stabilize.  Not that they could anyway, as the patient refuses to recognize his illness and need for medication and has what they call "poor insight".  Yet, the laws make it impossible to gain guardianship of your own son for fear you might cause the client to sue them regarding their "rights" again.  Or if you are able to gain guardianship, it is thousands of dollars and for only 6 months.  There should be better laws that will protect the loved ones that have a debilitating mental illness, that does not have a cure, only degenerative and in time, deceased, from all the side affects of all the new meds and the old generation meds or victims in the street or suicide.  Tell me politics have come a long way!!  Maybe, the research on medication but, the practice is still the same, not enough money in the system to really care for our loved ones that are not able to care for themselves or rational enough to understand what is wrong with them and that taking their medications may give them an opportunity not to relapse as often which causes their illness to further worsen each time.  No one really cares.  I love my son but, I do not have the money to fight for him and his "rights" to be treated like a human being, one that needs protection as a minor child still needs protection, they are chronologically of legal age but, because the illness strikes them at such a young age, it stunts their emotional growth and delays their emotional maturity and recognition. They never get the kind of treatment that they deserve because the state will not pay for what they deem unnecessary treatment for the mentally ill.  It is too costly to do MRI's or even, checking to make sure their meds are not causing them to gain 100 pounds in a year, maybe, the meds should be changed due to blood pressure spiking!  Or another, if the meds being prescribed are not working, why continue giving the same meds that are causing pychosis!!  That would take too long to check on the patient and monitor their behavior more than a 10 minute office visit.  Has our system really improved??  Yes, no more lobotomies from the '40's and '50's and no more Electric Shock treatment that was seen on THE SNAKE PIT and ONE FLEW OVER THE COOKOO's NEST, but, what about the caring doctors and case workers in the mental health agencies?  Are they so afraid of the rights of patients that the health of patients is overlooked?  No, there are still a few good doctors that care as I have seen what the courts and judges put these good doctors through in the hospital settings when, the doctor does not want to release the patient as they are not stable enough to be released to the street, but, the fight in the courtroom is so difficult, as the judge does not listen to the doctor or staff but, are so careful that this person have their "rights" that what is really missed is that each person is an individual with unique problems that can not be clumped together with the elderly patient's rights.  The mentally ill patient and the senior patient are two different problems and should not be treated in one type of law.  HIPPA should be helping people not, helping the mental ill not get the treatment they deserve and so desperately need.

God Bless you, Sandra and your 50 year old son.  I am sure it has been an on going fight for you and I am glad to hear your son is alive and doing well at age 50.  I pray that he has matured and recognizes his disability and need for medications to help slow down the process of his disease.  I pray that someday, there will be more interest in research for preventing this crippling disease that has been around  since Jesus' day, when he healed those with this affliction.  I pray for those that have this awful illness and their loved ones as they see their child who once had all the aspirations to live a normal and productive life benefiting  to those all around them in their lives and community all but, to see their dreams shattered and to grieve for what used to be but, will never be as what was is not ever again.  It breaks my heart as I am, now, 60 years of age and my son is not 30 years of age, yet.  What will happen to him when I am gone and no longer able to be his advocate?(which is a fight for me)  Society has already thrown him to the street and the jails are full of more of the mentally ill than those that are hardened criminals!  Just throw the sick people away, out of sight out of mind!!  Who cares??  The laws are not for their protection but, so that society does not have to deal with these less fortunate people and the numbers are growing every day.  I am sure that since lithium, back in the '70's things have gotten better, but, some patients need more "fine tuning" on  what chemicals work better and at what dosage to take for their brains, and there just is not enough time or money to take care of the "fine tuning" of what dosage and medication works best for that particular patient. The budget cuts for the mentally ill are in all the states with the approval of the governors.  God Bless them that they do not have this illness in their family and they do not feel like crooks for spending over $430,000 for their 12 day vacations they call "public relations" and "drumming up business" and "jobs" for the state.  Right, how about taking their fiancee on a European vacation at the expense of an already devastated economy.  Things will never improve for the mentally ill as long as the priority of the officials is dishonesty.  God Bless those that try to make a difference and really care, they will get their rewards.

Christina Bruni, Health Guide

7/26/09 10:37am

Hi Judy,

 

I feel for what you are going through and have gone through and for what everyone on this thread and elsewhere goes through.

 

The latest Question of the Week is Forced Treatment Versus Free Choice and I'd like if you could post a comment to that SharePost to contribute to the dialogue about why forced treatment may be necessary.  This Question appears on the homepage of this web site.

 

I do not believe that people with schizophrenia have the "right" to be psychotic and roam around homeless or drugged up or abused by others because they have a medical condition which renders them unable to care for themselves.  Someone has to step in and change this because jails are the largest public psychiatric hospitals in the U.S.

 

For others to presume psychosis is an acceptable lifestyle is dangerous and insulting.  A bill has been passed clearing the way for funding for housing for people with mental illnesses.  It is a small step and other steps need to be taken.

 

By the way, I am no fan of the ACLU and their "civil liberties" defense when it comes to people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

 

Regards,

Christina

judy

7/26/09 3:23pm

Thank you, Christina, for your response.  I will get to work on that website and I feel there is, now, hope in the opporturnity to voice and work for what I and others know the necessity for the treatment of those in such despair.  Thank you so much, again!!