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Where to from her with dual diagnosis, schitzo-affective disorder/marijuana addiction

Where to from her with dual diagnosis, schitzo-affective disorder/marijuana addiction

Hello to all you brave battlers. I too feel brave most of the time, but feeling a little battle weary going into this next round.

My daughter is in her late thirties and has been in and out of hospital over the past four and half years. Similar to a revolving door, doctors treat her for pyschosis, come up with a diagnosis: the latest being schitzo-affective discorder and other disorders, along with co-occuring marijana addiction. Then out into the wider community she is sent, only to be re-admitted again in about 8 months on average, with out receiving the therapy or rehabilitation that was/is necessary to gain a better quality of life. The window of time available where she can see she needs help is so small...the clock keeps ticking. It is never long enough for her to want to engage with a programme before she succumbs to smoking marijuana again, which sends her right back into pscychosis and back to the revolving door again. I am losing count but I think this is the seventh admission. This is just me connecting the dots, as I am only part of the recovery process, usally being shut out at some point. My daughter makes up her mind to do it alone, isolating herself from a large, loving family in NZ, which makes helping from a distance incredibly difficult.

It is not my daughter's fautlt that she has this illness, but it is her responsibilty for her recovery. At times she would agree with this, and other times, lay blame at every one's feet except her own.

Two questions to start with (I have many):

Can I gain a legal authority if she chooses not to sign a consent form? Some kind of reform is necessary I feel as the law as it stands is not always in the best interests of our loved ones.

Does any one have experience of a long term recovery plan for dual diagnosis which includes a stay in a remote facitly? Far away from the temptaions and pressures of the city; a stay long enough to build confidence, self estem, and much needed life skills, to list a few. Therapy which deals with her drug addiction and at the same time therapy with a focus on her mental illness. The two being inextricably linked.

Of course coming up with a plan does not mean she will agree to it of course. I feel the holding pattern has repeated often enough to slap the medical professionals in the face. Surely there could be a different course of action this time which might have a more positive outcome. If I can see this, surely they can elude to it as well?

If she stays with my husband and I for at least a month, after a 6 week admission, I notice a big improvement (she has not done this every time). I hope each time she will keep going in the right direction of recovery. But then she slips into secretive seclusion and the contact and communication drops away until it is gone completely. All I know is that this time, some thing needs to change. I will keep searching for a way forward for her.

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In response to: Where to from her with dual diagnosis, schitzo-affective disorder/marijuana addiction

Re: Where to from her with dual diagnosis, schitzo-affective disorder/marijuana addiction

Hi @Greenfinger and Welcome to the forums!

I'm sorry I'm not able to give you any real advice in relation to the questions you've asked but wanted to commend your efforts to try and help your daughter and thinking of all possible solutions. In answer to your question regarding a consent for legal authority I would suggest that this would be impossible to achieve unless your daughter was found to be of unsound mind (which I imagine would be very hard), in which case you would become her legal guardian. I fully agree that a long-term, holistic, residential care facility would help your daughter tremendously. There are privately run facilities within Australia that offer long term residential care for both mental health issues and addictions, but their cost is prohibitive and there are some Govt. run extended care mental health rehab centres which could be of some benefit. Sorry I can't be of much help. I wish you the best of luck.

Janna ❤️

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