i have a cousin with paranoid schizophrenia and our family who loves him very much and dont know how to approach him to get the help he needs.he thinks we are all part of the cia's plan to get him.he gets angry when we say that we are not the feds,he thinks we wear earpieces.and he talks to the tv and thinks they respond to him.please if anyone can tell me what to do you would be a god send .i feel like he is going to seriousely hurt someone.
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Q: how do we help a paranoid schizo that is a family member
Answers (2)
8/26/09 8:51am
Hello pm23,
This sounds like one of my mother's family members, so I understand how it is for a cousin to believe his delusions and not think anything is wrong with his belief. Anosognosia, the lack of awareness that one has an illness, affects up to 50 percent of the people diagnosed with schizophrenia and accounts for why these people fail to see treatment or stay on their medication.
As you may be aware, in the U.S., a person will only be admitted to a psych ward if he is considered a danger to himself or someone elsse. If he currently has a psychiatrist, you can have his doctor call ahead to the ER to say that your cousin is being taken there and not to release him, to admit him.
Of course, he might not be in treatment right now. There's a book by Xavier Amador that I recommend, I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help that tells you how to talk to your loved one to persuade him to take meds and stay in treatment. Because Amador was able to get his brother Henry, who had anosognosia, to take the meds even though Henry didn't believe he needed them.
You can also join NAMI and attend a family support group where others members will talk to you about strategies they find helpful for dealing with loved ones who have schizophrenia. Call (800) 950-NAMI (6264) to find the name and number of the local affiliate in your city or town that host weekly or monthly family support meetings.
I'm going to sign off and send you another answer with the link to the SharePosts I published where I interviewed Xavier Amador.
Regards,
Christina
8/26/09 8:57am
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i tried calling that hotline already and its not working right now (on their end).but i told him he should seek help and he thinks im insulting his intelligence.i mean this kid is a genius he is so brilliant.he just keeps telling me to "tell them to leave"."he just wants to be left alone".and that "his patience is running out.".but thank you for your help i really appreciate it