Young son who recently came out of hospital and was diagnosed with Psychosis

Hi @Mabel

Welcome to the Forums. I hope you don't mind, but I moved your post to another part of the Forums so it could be more easily found (& therefore get more responses).

While we wait for other carers to respond about how you can best help him, would you like to share a bit more about him?

I'd be interested to know how old he is and whether he lives with you.

Take care,

Nik

He is 29 years old...and he lives with me and 2 cats he adores..

Hi @Mabel

Can I please preface what I have to say by letting you know I tend to be quite blunt but understand totally the feeling if not knowing what to do or say. To be able to help you a little more can I ask a couple more questions as this makes quite a difference as to how you would respond to him.

Is your son aware he has psychosis? Does he realise something is not right? Was this his first episode? Did you get any other diagnosis? Are you recognized by the hospital as his carer, is he happy to involve you in the process?

As a carer if my husband who has had psychotic episodes there are a lot of things I wish I had been told at the start which could have saved me a lot of grief.

Darcy

Hi @Mabel

First episode psychosis can often be an indicator of an underlying major psychiatric illness. It is often associated with what is medically called loss of insight.

Loss of insight can lead to patients rejecting treatment. In the "what's new" tab there is a post on loss of insight and this will give you links to two YouTube sessions that are super helpful. My husband is not diagnosed with schizophrenia but has had psychosis and loss of insight and I was helped greatly by listening to the talks.

As soon as practical it is best to ensure that your son has given permission for you to be told of his condition. Get this documented and when dealing with docs, Centrelink etc. always refer to yourself as his carer not his mum.

The reason I say this is that each state has rules under the mental health act in relation to how doctors in public health system MUST engage with carers.

Mental illness is a diagnosis that affects the whole family not just the patient. It puts a strain on the most robust of relationships. It is vital that you get some support happening for yourself, learning healthy coping methods the earlier the better. There is s fabulous Qld website that walks you through mental health starting with diagnosis.

http://mhr4c.com.au

(Loss of insight is referred to on this site and the LEAP method is explained in the YouTube talks I previously mentioned).

There are some carer links in the "what's new" tab, the sane website also has information. If you want specific links I can send you some but would need to know what state you are in.

I do not have children and other forum members care for their older children and you might find some will link with you.

Darcy

Hey @Mabel
How are things?
Darcy

Hi @Mabel

My son is now 20 and also spent a month in hospital for psychosis when he was 19. The last year has been mostly ups with a few downs. How are things now? Hope you are keeping well 🙂