schizoaffective disorder adult son.

[biggles50]

Anyone out there living with a loved one who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder? Son in his 20s was diagnosed last year. Seems to be two steps forward and one step back. Hardest to deal with is his boredom yet any suggestions or offers to alleviate this is met with shrugs and negativity. Has no training and although a part time job would be great there are none that I think he could do given his anxiety and delusional state of mind. He's on anti physcotic drugs and anti depressants. Just how to deal with his boredom.

One of my colleagues has Schizoaffective disorder and Bipolar disorder.

She is a part time ward hostess (responsible for making teas & giving out meals on the ward). She is often off sick with a bad back or other issues, but the only problem with her MH seems to be that she gets stressed very quickly and gets paranoid & very upset when patients complain about the food. One man shouted at her and she got upset but I don't blame her, it's not like she cooks the food!

Anyway, I know she takes Quetiapine (sp?) - a mood stabilizer - and finds that very good. She sees the same psychiatrist that I see. I take anti-depressants & anti-psychotics for my problems (depression & psychosis).

She socializes with various friends & goes to the pub or restaurants. She's 45 & doesn't have a boyfriend or children, but she's had boyfriends in the past.

A part time job or voluntary work would be good for your son, something where he can work hard without having to interact too much with other people, in a place that is understanding of his disorder. That kind of work is hard to find but once he has that it should alleviate some of the boredom.
Also he needs a hobby like the gym, etc etc. I go to the gym & have made some acquaintances there. There are lots of groups & classes to join at my local gym, maybe there's a good one where you live.

One thing, he needs to steer clear of alcohol if possible (I don't drink because it makes the anti-psychotics stop working); it's really difficult to have a social life without it but worth it.

Hi Biggles so sorry your son has such a complex mental health problem. I know the depressive element of this illness can be severe. I think that's almost certainly the reason for your son's lack of motivation and negativity. I think quite honestly that it just isn't possible to have any understanding of the way depression affects us, unless you have experienced it yourself (sorry I don't mean just you, I mean anyone).

I suffer from intermittent depression which can be severe and it's a torment for sure. It drains us of any motivation to do anything, takes away any enjoyment in life, and so many other things. I know everyone's depression is different and so are affected differently and none of us knows how anyone else feels, but the thing about mental illness is that it takes away who "we are" - the "me" if you like. It can feel like a stranger has taken over your mind and that is very scary. It makes me feel ashamed even though I know that's not rational.

I think Latara has good suggestions, but I wonder if you've already suggested things like this. Your son's self esteem and confidence is probably very low at the moment and everything might be an effort, so thinking of going to a gym might just be a bridge too far just now. I wonder does he have any friends or has the illness meant that they have drifted away, which is often the case, especially with young people.

This will sound unhelpful, but I honestly think you may have to accept that there is not a lot you can do at the moment, and suggesting things for him to do isn't going to work. How does he spend his days I wonder - does he sleep a lot (most young people sleep in in the morning given the chance) - does he listen to music, play computer games, watch TV, I know they are all very sedentary pastimes, but really anything that helps to distract him and alleviate the boredom, help a little. He does need fresh air and exercise I know, but he may not have the motivation just now. He also needs to be with other young people. Does he have support from the CMHT - if so maybe he could be put in touch with other young people with MH problems.

There's a helpful website YoungMinds that is worth a look.

Thanks so much both of you for your kind words, his illness has been a big shock to us all but Hell for him. He has just joined a gym and has one very loyal friend. His old friends gave up on him because he would never go out. His brothers and sisters are very good with him but yes his motivation is at zero. He's talking about working but sleeps a lot, don't know about chams because we don't lives in the UK, but the after care has been excellent. Nina I'm so sorry to hear about your depression, it sound's terrible for you. Thanks latara we think there's an opening for voluntary work nd discussed it with him earlier, dreadful illness.

couldnt pass your post, we have such high hopes for our children and and dealing with mental illness is what we hope against. Encourage him as much as possible but remember any stress for him may make him unwell. Its such a fine line to tread. Hopefully with support he will find his own way eventually, but his motivation will be severely affected .The gym is a great step forward. Some people will have a good outcome and manage their illness. Your support will mean so much to him . My heart goes out to you. People with mental illness face such difficulties but they are ill and cant help how they feel,

Does he spend a lot of time online? It can be a great place to socialise even if it's not in person. Does he have headphones to chat?

Also what about pets? Do you have a dog that needs walking.

It's very difficult for you to do anything. Hopefully he will slowly learn to manage it.

There could be a number of reasons for his boredom and lack of motivation.

As Nananina says it could be depression but it could also be drug side effects. Many antipsychotics are very sedative. Or it could be negative psychotic symptoms. These are a part of psychotic mental illness as much as positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations) and they include apathy, poor motivation and emotional blunting (not feeling strong emotion)

In any case it won't be anything he can help or snap himself out of.

I would see if he can get his meds reviewed by a psychiatrist.

Does he have a CPN or other community mental health worker? They could help him with scheduling activities and getting back into things again.

In the uk there are often specialist 1st episode psychosis teams for people in his situation. Maybe such a thing exists where you are too?

I think peer support ie talking to others in the same boat is really important. It's a life changing diagnosis and an experience that not many people have shared. Perhaps there's a support group IRL or online he can access?