‘The perfect storm’
Once symptoms begin to appear or the psychosis associated with schizophrenia develops in earnest, treatment is very often refused. It’s a perfect storm. Young people are coming forward and experiencing symptoms, people are throwing labels and resisting serious mental health conditions.
This is a very difficult situation for parents and guardians. They are adults at age 18 and can make decisions about whether to go to the hospital or take medication. As a parent, you lose the power to make your children do this.
listen and empathize
We advise that families need to be good listeners if they want to involve someone in treatment. Don’t just listen, listen About what their experience is. Their reality is different from that of most people. I’m not going to say that you have to agree with what they say if that’s a delusion. But I can relate.
When he thinks someone is coming for him, he says, “That sounds really scary. “You must be very worried.”
That is their reality. Imagine if that were true. Loved ones believe so.
Then listen for anything that might motivate you to seek treatment. Many people with schizophrenia have difficulty sleeping. Treatment may help with your sleep cycle.
Maybe they want to go back to college. “I know you want to go back to college. That’s exactly what I want from you too. Let’s see what we can do to get back there.”
Work with them to achieve their goals – not what you want, but what they want.
Ideally, you will listen and empathize before getting them to agree to treatment. At that point, you become a recovery partner, working with your loved one to find solutions and help.
At first, treatment is trial and error
Frankly, the medications available for schizophrenia are not always effective, which is why many people discontinue treatment. There can be terrible side effects and people stop because they lose hope.
One of the side effects is obesity. If you have a young woman who has gained 30 pounds in three months after being told she needs to take this medication, she wants to stop. The voice stopped. However, within a week or two, the voice returns and the cycle begins again.
It is common to try different medications early in treatment. It was the same for my son. He tried four or five antipsychotic medications that target hallucinations, a more active part of schizophrenia. But when he found something that worked, it was like a light switch went on in his brain.
Matthew suffers from obesity and other unpleasant side effects. But he also has the awareness that he needs medication and that his side effects are not as bad as the psychosis itself. It’s a very mature place.
I suggest to people that they hope to continue to search and not settle. Always work in collaboration with a psychiatrist. And have people with schizophrenia sign Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) consent forms so psychiatrists can collaborate with other mental health professionals. If you continue to look for treatment options over time, you have a very good chance of finding something that works.
Explain what the drug does
People with schizophrenia need to be fully informed and informed about everything that goes into their bodies. Part of being in treatment is understanding the pros and cons of all types of medications and how you want them to affect you.
positive reinforcement
Once the medication takes effect and your symptoms go away, you can talk about it. “Do you remember last month when you couldn’t sleep because you heard voices? Do you remember how scary and horrible it was? The medicine is working now, so that’s a good thing. “This is a really important step.”
This is positive reinforcement. You are reaching them on an intellectual level about what they are doing and what results they are seeing. They can think through cause and effect. I will continue to do this because I love the results.
Taper treatment if ineffective
It is never a good thing to suddenly stop treatment for schizophrenia. Emphasize the importance of working with a psychiatrist if you are unhappy with the side effects or if the medication is not working for you.
This is a powerful drug that changes the chemical balance of the brain. You may need to reduce one drug and add another drug to your regimen to ensure sufficient blood levels. You want to avoid going to extremes and completely falling apart.
Listen politely to their reasons for wanting to stop and find alternatives. There are many combinations of options out there. The process of finding what works takes patience. It doesn’t work right away. It will take several weeks. Talk about what is least disruptive to their lives.
