How to respond to my 26yo son's Delusions: false beliefs that can’t be changed?

I have no personal experiance with the side of Youtube that allows you to publish paid content, but I would presume that they would send you reciepts for how much money you've earned on your chanel, and where they've paid that money to.

So if you had been embezzling millions from him, wouldn't there be an impartial paper trail indicating so? Wouldn't there be independant Youtube accounting records showing that your being paid millions for his work?

Have you tried challenging him to provide evidance of your embezzlement? Perhaps being confronted with the fact that there is no evidance to back up his assumptions might prompt him to reconsidder them. It might be concievable that a family could conspire to exploit their son for financial gain; but what motive would Youtube have to falsify it's payout records? It would want to keep it's content creators happy, as it's whole income depends on them doing business with it.

If the lack of any obvious evidance of embezzlement doesn't sway him, would it be helpful to hire an independant (i.e. trustworthy to your son) accountant to investigate whether or not there have been millions earned, and if so, where they've gone?

@Rebeka I'm very sorry to hear that you are going through this. A delusion is just as real to your son as fact; evidence won't be able to challenge it until he has recovered from the acute phase. For the record, the way you talk about your son suggests you are a very supportive and caring parent. Please credit yourself for this.

Try and focus the conversation on displaying empathy for him. For example you could say "I can understand why you would feel angry. I would be angry too. I love you and I want things to be better between us."

Also, try and gently change the topic "I hear you but I would like to talk about something else now. What are you having for dinner?"

If the accusations are getting too much, it is important to set boundaries: For example "I'm very sorry you feel that way. I am worried that you are too upset for us to talk about this right now. We can either talk about something else, or I will be hanging up the phone. It is okay for you to be upset but I will need to stop talking to you about this for today."

Please make sure to take care of yourself too. Make sure you eat, sleep, exercise and take time out for yourself. I have a psychotic disorder myself and anti-psychotics have been a life saver for me. It is like a miracle how well they can work for things like delusions. He'll either engage when the time is right for him, or the Mental Health Act will be used for compulsory engagement. Most people do recover from psychosis so is it very likely that things will get better from here. It could take some time for him to engage with help though, so your own self-care is extremely important in the meantime.

@Rebeka i support you if i could but my support button does not work. i love people who take the time to find answers to help their loved one. My wife went searching as well, and this cemented us in our love and respect for each other, her being helpful when i was ill, rather than responding in ways that kept tearing us apart during illness as it first was.had been. (love her a lot for doing that for me)

As far as i'm concerned a psychotic mind sees no reason, for our delusions are usually experienced much more actual than normal life is. At least it always was for me.And we KNOW FOR SURE that it is the way we think it is. Truly the full 110 percent!

@Ruby26 @chibam

Sadly i can give you no other answer than those already given. It is the psychosis which needs to go away before you will be able to discuss thus subject with any kind of integrity. And often only at times, for sudden reoccurrening relapses can happen. They did with me. Good counselling for both your son as well as yourself. Their are some good resources available online if you search under the right key words. Giving him of loving help and support - without pushing it - when he is psychotic if possible try and develop a positive relationship if at all possible.

This is how i befriended a psychotic person and we have become best friends ever since. Who at the time fully believed our 11 year old daughter was his lost wife Eve, for he thinks he is Adam, and came in the middle of the night to ask me for our daughters hand in marriage.

To simply play along. Bringing him home, and making sure he gets the help/medication he needs. These are the kind of actions ill people will appreciate when the medication has them leave psychosis.

(i remember getting really angry once with a really good friend, who my wife had rang up for help, tried to 'force me reason while psychotic,' that i in that state did not appreciate whatsoever. And let him know in no uncertain terms to p off for he was f.. my mind up. Sadly we have not been friends since, that is how much he took it to heart me getting upset with him at the time. Yet i was psychotic i did not do it on purpose. Surely why do i have to be responsible while out of my mind but not them not being wise about that? i did try and make up afterwards but he basically stopped supporting both my wife and me after that. i felt so bad back in my right mind having caused that rift.)

Make sure you get plenty of support and if possible someone you can trust to vent to. It can be very hard dealing with a delusional person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtUZvsVI56o

Thank you. I read that 'Delusions are false beliefs that can’t be changed, even by evidence' and that is our experience.

Challenging him for paperwork makes him agitated and confused, since he thinks his friends are involved and has fallen out with them so can't access paperwork.

He has false beliefs about his friends and also where he's living. He's very unwell at the moment and there's no reasoning with him

Thank you, yes he's in an acute psychotic episode. It has lasted nearly one month which is the longest to date.

Thanks for the tips to show empathy, or change the topic or set boundaries.

He's been on antipsychotic medication for 6 years now, with doses increasing this year.
He's currently taking 3 different antipsychotics and yet is still having an acute episode (most probably due to AOD use).

We've tried everything to get him involuntarily admitted, so too has his NDIS support coordinator. Even with recent self-harm requiring surgery he wasn't admitted into a psyche ward or rehab.

It's encouraging to hear that most people recover from psychosis.

Thanks.

Thank you, yes, it is our experience as a family that 'a psychotic mind sees no reason.

His delusions are VERY REAL to him, now more so than ever.

I can't bring him home because there's an exclusion because of his extreme AOD use.

He won't engage with youth mental health case manager.

I'm still trying to find ways to develop a positive relationship though.

Thanks.