The hospital he was in should know of a day program that might be suitable for your son short-term while he regains his functioning so he can move on to work, school and relationships down the road.

If your insurance covers him until he's 26 (like the kind of employer insurance I have does-I think because of a clause in the Obama Health Care Reform Act) I would research the kind of coverage your plan offers.

It will however most likely not pay for his housing costs at a group home or supportive living, and I know that SSI or SSD would pay for this kind of living as I lived in a halfway house and then residence for two years in my early twenties and my government check paid the housing costs.

I'm not sure why you think he needs to change his meds.  A person who exhibits anosognosia, the lack of awareness that he has an illness, is best suited to receiving an LAI, that is, long-acting injectable.  If memory serves I wrote a SharePost in August about a drug company that is creating a once-monthly injectable form of Abilify that will come on the market soon.  The company is Alkermes and I did write about this in August I just checked my archives.

Your best bet is to research the drugs, try to keep up a dialogue with his psychiatrist, and also if you live in the US attend a NAMI family support meeting in your city or town.  Dial (800) 950-NAMI (6264) to find the name and phone number of your local chapter.  You would do well to take the NAMI Family-to-Family course to learn more about the drugs, treatments and success stories that are possible for people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The "NAMI mommies" could be a good resource for word-of-mouth about a quality residential option for your son.  You can also log on to the Human Services Resource Locator to get the phone number of an agency that can assist you in finding housing.  I believe it is brought to us by the United Way.

I also recommend the gold standard of treatment: CBT or cognitive behavior therapy to help your son get a handle on his symptoms and manage them better.

Two months is too early to call it whether his drugs have reached their full effectiveness.  Questions don't cost a penny.  Keep asking questions of your son's treatment team.  See if they will talk to you because I know it can be hard with the confidentiality laws.  At best, you can write his psychiatrist a note or call the pdoc and let him or her know the symptoms you're observing in your son, any new symptoms, and if the symptoms are getting worse.

Because things like this would indicate whether a change in medication is warranted.  Abilify is a newer atypical and like all the atypicals it costs a ton of money.  Haldol is what's called a traditional neuroleptic and is most likely cheaper.  I'm not sure the cost of the other drug he's on because I think you misspelled the drug unless it's the British spelling of a drug version not available in the U.S. (clarzipam)

The cost of a drug I feel is secondary to whether that drug is the most effective drug to treat the symptoms your son is presenting.  You can certainly ask for the rationale behind why one drug was chosen over another.  The psychiatrist should at the very least be able to answer that question.

So be a pest.  Be your son's advocate.  Ask these questions.  Ask all the questions you have.  Persist until you gain the knowledge you need to be comfortable with his treatment.  Ask, ask, and ask again.

And if you have to, get a second opinion from another well-respected psychiatrist about the meds your son is on.  I know a guy who has a regular psychiatrist and then every so often he goes to a psychiatrist who is a specialist in the field for an assessment, all the while continuing with his primary psychiatrist.

You can find one of America's Top Doctors at the Castle-Connolly Web site.

Regards,

Christina