Feeling uneasy around schizophrenic dh

[shreddtees]

My dh has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and as I know very little about the illness it's making me feel quite worried! I have 2 small children and am terrified they will inherit the illness ( not sure if its hereditary) he is mostly a happy, calm man but on a few occasions he's got very shouty and aggressive, he hasn't physically been violent to me or dc, but punches walls and kicks things etc which really scares me and our dc. It upsets me terribly when this happens and I don't know weather it's caused through his illness or not. I've lived with him for 10 years and this anger has only surfaced since his diagnosis 3 years ago. It happens when he gets really stressed and overworked. Should people with schizophrenia have a job if they can't handle it? I've never, ever had any reason to fear him before these outbursts but now I just feel very uneasy and uncomfortable especially when I don't know when he's going to act like this.

You say your husband was diagnosed 3 years ago yet you know little about his illness. Why have you been so uninvolved?
Surely the first thing you should do is speak to your GP about your worries and concerns and ask if there is a mental healthcare professional you could talk to or a support group.
If your husband is high functioning there is no reason at all why he cant work and be a productive member of society. He needs to take his medication regularly which is a key element to controlling his illness.

hi i was a mental health nurse for many years so wiil try and answer some of your questions yes it can be hereditary but people with schizophrenia can live for long periods of time very settled and well ,mwhat treatment is he on ? Often people can become unwell if they stop taking medication many people do work with scizophrenia but if its causing him stress it might be better for him to find a less stressful job as stress can trigger a relapse in his illness people can suffer with both positive and negative symptons of schizophrenia the positive symptons are symptons such as psychosis and auditory hallucinations ie hearing voices and the negative symptons can seem much more like a depression people are unmotivated low in mood have poor self care etc.

Thankyou x2boys. He is taking olanzapine and has done since being diagnosed. He is very reliable taking them and knows that he could relapse if he stops taking them. I have not considered going to the doctors about my concerns

Hi,

My DH suffers episodes of psychosis, he does not currently have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, however seems to fit the diagnosis to a tee (there is currently some debate amoungst mental health proffesionals about whether the diagnosis of schizophrenia is actually a useful thing) My DH was diagnosed 4 years ago and is under an early intervention in psychosis team who have been supporting us ever since, he is also on olanzapine which seems to work well for him. DHs mental health team have given me a lot of support too with me being alocated a family liason CPN to support me too and a friends and family group which involved education about psychosis. Could you ask your husbands CPN if his team have similar schemes? We have also been refered to a family therapist through his mental health team. At the very least his CPN should be willing to talk to you about his diagnosis and your concerns and if he consents to it his care plan, prognosis etc. DHs CPN has met with me and DH together many times and we communicate closely when DH is poorly, I am very much part of the team that support him.

Stress tends to trigger episodes of psychosis, DH works part time at the moment but has worked full time in the past. Unfortunately work stress was one of the triggers for his last relapse, but it is certainly possible to work so long as he has strategies to manage his stress levels and appropriate support if he needs it.

DH can become very aggitated and erratic when unwell, it is often the first sign for me that he is unwell as he generally doesn't share his unusual thoughts and beliefs, its more that I see his reaction to those thoughts and beliefs. It can be very frightening to be arround and this is something we have done a lot of work with his team arround the last 12 months and the reason for the family therapy. DHs frightening behaviour is generally caused by him being very frightened and confused himself, he goes into a fight or flight state. Generally speaking it is very rare for someone with schizophrenia to hurt anyone, the best predictor for violence is a history of violence. I really understand how frightening it can be though as DH has been threatening and verbally aggresive towards me when he has been poorly. He would never behave that way when well.

If you are going to talk to someone about your concerns his CPN or psychiartrist would be the best people to talk to as tgey know him and are experts in his condition. I've found GPs hit and miss with some saying things in direct opposition to the advice his team have given me. (My GP told me she thought it was morally wrong for me to have children with him as he would always have episodes of illness. DHs MH team are fully supportive of us having children and feel that it is likely he will have further long periods of stability)

As for passing it on to the children it does tend to run in families but the chances of passing it on are still very low. 3% of the population will experience psychosis, this increases to 6% if you have a parent with psychosis, so still very low.

There are a few things that I have found very useful to help me understand DHs condition better.

www.reacttoolkit.co.uk

TED talks by Elyn Saks and Eleanor Longden

The books, 'The centre can not hold; a journey through madness ' by Elyn Saks and 'My lovely wife; a memoir of madness and hope' by Mark Lukash

The Rethink and Mind websites.

Feel free to PM me too if you want to.

Also the NICE guidelines for psychosis and schizophrenia are a useful read to inform you about what care and support you both should be getting.