Psychotic Depression

[annalisa1]

Hoping someone can help. Looking for some info as I have a relative who is currently in hospital being treated for Psychotic depression. The nurses do not give much support and I understand everyone presents differently but I just would like life experience I suppose. People who have been through it or know someone who has. How long can recovery take? Is it common not to want to see family members etc. Anything that can help me make sense of it all. Thank you

Thank you for responding and for your good wishes. I appreciate so much hearing the positive outcome you have had with your Dad. I know everyone is different but I wish the same for us. It has been hard in the past and with hindsight I see this is probably why. I am trying to believe that I can only do so much and I could only have done so much before and maybe that wouldn't have prevented this anyway.
I hope that mum is the same and won't remember the bad times and the things she said and did.

Once the right meds were in place and started to work, was the improvement quite quick or did it take more time? Again I know everyone is different. It's so hard not to think of how long it's been, though it actually seems so much longer, and then think why isn't something working yet.

Sorry I keep asking so many questions. I just feel like if things will turn out half as well for us that there is hope.

In sorry to hear things are still not good for you or your son smiley. I hope you will both be well again soon. Maybe your son could start another course or they can help him in another way. Can you speak with his tutors about it?
It is a shame there is no daily visit available. They call it home enablement or something here. It was through our crisis team. Can you contact Mind or rethink or somewhere to see if there is any support. I have spoken to one or two organisations who have been helpful. My local mind does a counselling course for carers. Maybe there is something in your area?
All best wishes to you

Thks Plodding I'm starting counselling next week as I know I need to offload and I can't use friends/family for that. My son will be able to restart studies in September if he is well enough. He is a lost soul at present time, lonely and confused about what has happened. It's just time and patience, I'm a general Nurse myself so used to 'fixing' things that I can see. Obviously mental health is different, I do miss him, there are glimpses of him now . I really hope things improve for your Mum. Keep us updated x

Smiley - you sound so strong - I can't begin to imagine how I'd cope to see a dc through this. I hope you do get the help and support that you need. You do need to take care of yourself to be able to take care of him. Totally get what you say about wanting to fix things and the frustration that mental health is such an unknown.

Plodding- if I recall correctly, it did take q a while for the meds to work and for us to see an improvement. It was concerning to me that one day they said "these meds will take 6 wks to 'kick in'" and the next day they were trying a different regime. Seemed they weren't allowing anything chance to work. However he'd got himself into such a poor physical health state his body was a wreck and they needed to nurse him back to physical health first too. The MH recovery then went hand in hand with his physical one but it was a slow and steady improvement from then on.

In our case the Dr said near the outset that as his 'fall' into this state was so quick his recovery may well be as quick as well - so that may have a bearing on it all. However, to be honest, I think he had probably been trying to cope with MH issues and kept so much hidden from us for a long while.

Once I stopped visiting so frequently I saw the gradual improvements more clearly. I couldn't be there everyday due to distance but on reflection I think he needed that space too to focus on himself and not the impact he was having on us.
Just another reassurance if I may that you don't need to exhaust yourself. It's a long haul so take it gentle on yourself.

Thanks for your recent posts. It helps a lot to read others experiences. Knowing there are so many who have been In a similar place and have come out of it or are coming out of it, gives me hope.

I went to see mum on Saturday. She said she wanted me to come so I took the chance. She seemed much brighter though I realise it will still be up and down and there is a long way to go. I managed to sort a few things that she was worried about, lack of clean washing and a new toothbrush and some snacks and drinks. Small things but I hope they can make a bit of a difference. There has been one OT who has been a great help to me recently. And she seems to care about how things are going. Not patronising like the some of the others.
I have a meeting for Wednesday morning which I hope will help also.
Will have to see how things go I guess.
I feel if there are activities and things to keep her mind occupied it will help.

I hope your counselling goes well smiley. How did you access that? I hope your son continues to improve and finds it easier as time goes on. As the year progresses and days are sunnier I hope it will encourage more smiles.

Good to read you have visited your Mum and that she requested you see her, Yes early days are a bit up and down but sounds positive. Hope the meeting goes well. My counselling starts tomorrow, accessed through carers group. I am off work for another 3 weeks, I do hope by then that I will feel able to return, on a phased stage and I will be reducing my hours. My son's illness has had a huge impact on all the family,it's like a ripple effect. Yes, I said today, I yearn for the Spring, lighter eves,sunshine!

Hope your counselling went well smiley.
And that your return to work goes smoothly. Do you have other family helping look after your son?

I had the meeting today at the unit and it seemed to go well. They discussed carrying on the section as they feel without it mum would be reluctant to take medication and want to discharge herself etc. I just want her to continue to get better so I was in agreement. I am hoping we are on the right pathway now for things to progress in the right direction but only time will tell. There has been no mention of the pyschosis from mum today but that isn't to say it's not still there. She seemed even brighter than Saturday. I took her a radio, the unit still have the one she came in with origionally, I asked if she could go out for a walk, they said they would sort it for today. I wasn't allowed to take her. She is coming to visit us on Saturday hopefully. Will see what happens on the day for that though.
Going to be a while yet before things are back to any kind of normal but hoping we are on the right path.

My son is showing signs of recovery. Eating better, going to the gym and for short walks.
He cannot remember how ill he has been. He had his haircut, looks like my son again! Still a way to go, gets tired easily but feeling more positive. Hope things are improving for OP x

Good to read your son is improving Smiley. How are you? I hope the councilling is beneficial.
Things are a little better with my mum. She is still having the psychosis though not as much or as deep, and it is only spoken about when she is asked, I think this is because she realises it is why she is staying in hospital and now is wanting to go home so she has to present well to do this.
She still doesn't see she is ill and thinks she can come off the anti depressant and doesn't even believe she is taking the anti psychotics. So, because of the concern for her stopping medication, she has been placed under section again. She plans to appeal but I am hoping she will not get anywhere with this. I just want her to come to terms with being ill and then continue to get better. Her concentration and memory seem to have improved recently and even in the space of a week she has seemed better each time I have seen her.

I was just wondering if anyone who has been ill or experienced anyone with illness knows if it will be a much more gradual thing to realise what you have experienced is not real and to accept you need medication to recover? I know this may sound like a stupid thing to ask and as each case is different there may not even be a definitive answer.

On one hand the medication she is on appears to be working but clearly not as well as it could be if the dosage was higher. Mum
Refuses to accept a higher dose of anti depressant.
I agree that getting out and about and partciptating in more activities will etc will help her mood but it is not the answer to being well again.