Schizophrenia?

[brittanyfairies]

I wonder if anyone can help me. Before I continue I will say that I have made a doctor's appointment for Thursday.

My DS who is just turned 18 has had a person in his head for the last 3 years. He had ASD as well and for a lot of his time he is on another planet.

He has told me he invented this character when he was doing his exams and had lots of stress. He didn't have many friends because he was a little different and he's a massive introvert.

When he first told me about her she was a little girl and he said she was God. He is a non believer. She would visit him in his sleep sometimes she would be nice but quite often she would be nasty and give him nightmares. I've found pieces of paper over the years where he's tried to write down his dreams of her. It affected his sleep so I've spent time buying weighted blankets etc. I didn't really worry.

During the first lockdown he told me a bit more about her. She's an adult now, she doesn't frighten him anymore and she gives him advice. She can still be nasty.

The other night he told me more. She tells him what to do. When he was having difficulties with his girlfriend and I advised him to break up with her, he did, but not because I'd advised it but because she told him to. He's not allowed to talk about her or write anything down because she gets angry and gives him nightmares. She tolerates him speaking to me. He said at school he was saying something in class and she just screamed No at him in his head and he shut up instantly. He said she made him cross so he put her in a cage, she just sat staring at him until she'd had enough and then she just walked out of the cage. He can still see the cage in his head.

He doesn't want her to leave, she's his friend.

In himself he's very well, he's in his final year at school and has lots of tests and stress. He's thinking about his future.

He has a nice group of friends at school but he's worried about a 2nd lockdown happening.

He says she won't be happy if he speaks to the doctor and I'm worried he won't say anything.

Does anyone have experience of schizophrenia? Is this how it manifests? He's googled it himself too. Is there anything I can do to support him? I'm very worried, with his ASD his life has not been easy.

DB has schizophrenia, I don't know too much about his voices or how they manifest, other than he will somehow say I heard voices telling me to x. I don't dispute the voices, but I might say that must feel very scary for you.

It seems to be related to periods of stress. Your DS sounds like he has lots of support factors and I believe its possible to live with voices if you have good insight. DB went to a hearing voices support group and that was helpful. I would discuss it with a professional as it may be a long road to get the right strategies.

I'm not schizophrenic/psychotic, but do have voices in my head. I also have ASD and like your son mine started off "useful" but have become more malevolent as time goes on.

I'm addressing it in therapy, though also take meds to reduce the intensity while I work on it.

It might be worth speaking to your GP, or ideally your son doing this because your local mental health team probably run a hearing voices support group. He could also be referred dor an assessment if that is what he wanted.

I have schizoaffective which is schizophrenia and bipolar mixed. Happy to answer any questions however I will say the fact that he created this voice is positive as a schizophrenic my voices are completely out of my control I cannot lock them up they torment me and there is nothing I can do to stop them except take my meds.

Schizophrenia is not just about hearing voices there are also catatonic states, word salads when you try to say something and the wrong words come out which make no Sense I feel emotions but do not show emotional reactions for example smiling to show happiness. I also have inappropriate humour meaning I will laugh when I shouldn't. I lack motivation and have completely no interest in self care and I am incapable of learning anything new that wasn't already learned before onset of symptoms, I can only watch tv that I saw before my illness started otherwise it makes the voices so overly obnoxious and loud I cannot do it.these are what I believe to be the schizophrenia part as opposed to the bipolar part.

@Theodoreb you describe your condition and it really sounds very similar to my DD2. She was diagnosed as Bi polar at 15 but we have a feeling this was the wrong dx.

Is schizoaffective disorder hard to dx at such a young age. We have lived 3 years of hell as she never goes through a normal phase. She is either depressed or manic. Hate the manic phase, had a few months of that now and really bloody sick of it.

@fortifiedwithtea I'm afraid it's going to be seriously difficult at 15 I was admitted to adult psychiatric hospital and the silly doctor there told me the voices were real and I had ptsd, then at 21 I was diagnosed bipolar I didn't get the schizophrenia part added until I was about 25. But my advice is keep pushing just keep fighting and yes without medication I have very little break in between in my case I'm mostly manic and then when I do have a break the schizophrenia symptoms continue. I find a anti psychotic the best medication at treating me and even with a bipolar diagnosis the treatments are similar just less of it so I would just push for a strong anti psychotic.

Also ime anti psychotics tend to be better at manias while mood stabilizer which are easier to take deal better with depressions.

I take a lot of medication and while at first I was worried about being drugged up now I'm over the initial first few months I'm not drugged up at all I just function better and I'm in less pain so the high medication wasn't anything to be frightened of really.

@Theodoreb You describe your condition very well and eloquently. Sadly we thought DB was, just a bit odd (it was 20 years ago) and he had no help until he was catatonic at 24 and sectioned. The psychiatrist only got one word from him (his name) in an hour long interview. He takes Olanzapine and since they added an antidepressant he has found communicating much easier and it helps him socially. I believe he may have adhd, possibly dyspraxia, as a child, but with schizophrenia diagnosis later on it becomes harder to unpick. He is stable and functions now as an adult.

@Theodoreb thanks for replying. At 15 DD2 was sectioned and luckily sent to an adolescent mental health unit in a nearby town. She has learning disability as well. It was harrowing. She didn’t understand why she was locked away and still doesn’t but it was for the best. It opened doors, she was able to go to a special needs school, and now has an ECHP.

Risperidone has kept her out of hospital for the last nearly 3 years but shes not well. Recently transition to adult mental health services. They are reviewing her case and maybe changing her medication. I feel completely worn down. Reckless behaviour and never stops talking from the moment she wakes up. Its takes all my willpower not not to scream STFU!

I have escaped to my bedroom to type this because I really feel on the edge

Sorry to hear about your son.
I suffered a severe psychotic episode four years ago where initially my deceased mother began visiting me and I heard her voice inside of me, but then God made an appearance. You mentioned God so that immediately makes me wonder whether he could in fact be suffering from psychosis. God is very frequent in psychosis. I also spoke to a man who lived years believing he was in the middle of a video game and that played part in his life for a very very long time undiagnosed. Your son needs medical help. There’s amazing medication out there. It takes a while to get the right medication that suits your son, but eventually they can get there and it can improve his life so so much. Good luck.

@ChocsAway2 I was on olanzapine and honestly it's a wonder drug gave me my life back, I have now switched to haloperidol owing to weight gain which is nearly as effective but has more side effects wish you both all the best.

@fortifiedwithtea may I suggest olanzapine it was a wonder drug for me and gave me 10 years complete stability before weight gain got so bad I was forced to switch. I know how difficult I can be so don't underestimate how hard your daughter can be on times, for me knowing I was loved and needed which I didn't realize when I was going through my destructive phase were what I needed to start fighting. Try to understand it's so exhausting going to bed and waking up with the exact same demons that plagued you last night. Finding strength to fight that is hard just keep encouraging and telling her you believe in her. Tbh risperidone had little effect on me and felt weaker compared to olanzapine and haloperidol don't know if that's just personal however.

I have read that God is mentioned a lot when people hear voices as it helps the person suffering make sense of the voices. For example hearing a voice that's not actually from a visible person, well it must be God as no one can see God but people talk to him everyday.

Hi I've got schizoaffective disorder too.
I found risperidone had no effect plus I had a huge weight gain, I now take Aripiprazole 30mg but still get breakthrough symptoms of paranoia & hallucinations when I'm stressed or tired.

I don't exactly hear voices but my perception of my own voice can change when I'm very tired - when I'm speaking it can sound to me like the voice of a person I know.

This is never noticeable to the person I'm actually having a conversation with.
My psychiatrist says it's a fairly common symptom?

When I've had paranoid delusions they've never been to do with God, more to do with my managers, colleagues, the government, spies, neighbours etc. They start off with normal paranoia but can build up into thinking people are out to get me.

I was having negative symptoms quite bad which affected my self care but recently they've improved however lockdown is making me a bit low.

I think you need to encourage your son to be honest with doctors if possible OP.
Maybe anti psychotics would help him or therapy but he won't get the right help if he's not honest.

I didn't get the right diagnosis until I was totally honest with my psychiatrist about thoughts that had been upsetting me.
With an increase in aripiprazole the thoughts went away it was such a relief.

Thank you for all your responses it's been very helpful. We saw the doctor this evening and I have to make an appointment with another agency now to find someone for him to speak to.

I suffer with schizoaffective disorder and am currently on 45mg Mirtazapine, propanol 160mg 30mg Aripiprazole and zoplicone to help sleep I also take cyclizine for anxiety sickness. Been suffering with SD for over twenty years, I hear voices and have visual disturbances too, I wake at night fighting and have full blown arguments with my voices, the are not coming from in my head but are in the room if you know what I mean. When I try to ignore them they get very abusive. Schizoaffective is not easy to deal with fortunately for me I have a Ex wife and two teenage girls that understand and support me at bad times