MIL schizophrenic relapse

[JustCantCope]

MIL has had schizo since before I knew her. Been refusing meds on and off. Was on injections but stopped over a month ago as believes drs experimenting on her, trying to kill her and making her gain weight.

She is almost constantly ringing. The answerphone takes most of the calls but very disturbing. Recently has been talking of wanting friends dead, all gays the same, shooting and of sexually abusing my children (both under 10 years). Her care team assessed her on Thursday, and she was given meds.. but I suspect not taking them again.

Obviously I'm keeping kids well away from her at moment. But I can't work out whether to just cut all contact now, as these nasty thoughts/delusions get built upon each time she has a relapse (never involved the kids before).

I want to protect the kids, I don't think i could ever feel safe with her near them again. But am I being unfair?

Also, how far do things have to go before she will be admitted? Surely saying she is thinking of sexually abusing children and wanting people dead makes her a threat to others?

[sugarplumfairy]

My MIL also has schizophrenia, though she has been stable for the for the last 15 years or so, when she was put on some new drugs that eventually seemed to work. From what I remember, what you have described would be how my MIL would be shortly before being sectioned. It is very distressing and if you are genuinely worried that she is a danger to herself or others then you need to let her doctors know. Is your FIL around for help? What does your DH say?

I wouldn't let the children near her while she is like this, however, it is an illness that she has no control over and although is very bad now, it doesn't mean that she can't get back to a more even keel in the future. Was there a trigger to her stopping the injections in particular? I hope you get the help you need.

[scottishmummy]

i can appreciate this is stressful for you
if you know her team call them,ask to speak to duty worker. tell them what you have typed here

she sounds unwell,imo no unsupervised time with kids

[JustCantCope]

I spoke to her care team on Thursday, that was why they went and assessed her that day. FIL is not very communicative..

It is especially hard as she will not accept that she has an illness, nor the terrible things she says when she is bad. She is getting sectioned about once a yr at moment and often has patches when she gets worse even on meds. They just don't seem to be as effective any more.

[JustCantCope]

oh and trigger for stopping allowing injections this time was possibly new consultant trying a lower dose to see how she got on. a few weeks later she refused them entirely

[sugarplumfairy]

So you have already pointed out to the care team what has been happening, did they make any arrangements to come back next week? Or is it up to you to tell them to come out again?, presuming you couldn't get her to keep any appointment at the doctors.

It does have to get pretty bad before they section someone, which you already know. My DD1 first met her Nanna in the mental hospital, aged 3 weeks. It's an awful and frightening disease and you need all the support you can get.

She's obviously not ready for the lower dose, they are ridiculously strong drugs, and I can see why they might try to reduce the dose, but once a year to be sectioned is alot. My MIL was in hospital almost constantly for the first 10 years of my DH's life, eventually they found a drug to control it, I don't know what she's on now. I could find out if that helps.

My MIL is now 68, having been poorly since her late teens. She has no idea she is poorly either, and has no recollection of any of the bad episodes, it's not really them, it's the voices that tell them to say and do these things. They are usually the greatest danger to themselves, though obviously may harm others. How does she normally get sectioned?

[JustCantCope]

You sound very supportive of your MIL, thats great.

I'm finding it very hard to be supportive just now. She has been ill just under 30 years I think. DH finds it very stressful to talk to her even when she is reasonably stable, but she phones me several times every day, even on a good day. FIL stays out of the house as much as he can (has apparently done this since dh was a baby). He is not a person to whom socialising comes easily.

I know very little of what happened when her team came out. She won't tell us and FIL doesn't seem to see the need to tell us anything. MIL's nurse said that he doesn't communicate with them enough about what is happening either. He won't use a mobile, can't easily talk on the house phone as MIL hears him, and doesn't reply to emails.. its near impossible.

She is normally sectioned by the care team, police involved sometimes. I don't really know what happens to trigger her sectioning, as FIL is so uncommunicative, just know that her phone messages get worse, she can't hold a conversation over phone and has strong delusions and says things like threatening to kill me. But she has been as bad as this for several weeks now, so I guess something must be different at home or when they assessed her which meant they didn't section her.

I've been told the ward she normally goes on has now closed due to funding and that she would have to go to another hospital further away. I assume that means more pressure on beds and that patients may need to be more severe before they can admit them.

[JustCantCope]

She finally went into hospital last night. Was going to be sectioned but agreed to go in voluntarily.