Schizophrenia...

October 3, 2008, 4:57 PM

I didn't really know where else to discuss this topic but I really need to get this off of my chest before I explode. I wonder how many of you are familiar with this mental illness? The reason I'm wondering is because I just got off the phone with my younger sister, she's 21, and found out some somewhat shocking news. My sister was diagnosed with severe anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. She really opened up to me today and told about a lot of things that she should've told me 5 years ago.

You see, when my sister was 16 years old she tried to kill herself. None of us ever understood why she did it because she had a good life, great friends, and people who loved her. She just literally had it all; a much better childhood than I could've ever asked for, but one day I get a call from her freaking out, telling me she just took an entire bottle of sleeping pills and slit both of her wrists. I never ever understood why that day as I came rushing there to find her on the floor, calling 911 and getting her to the hospital.

To this day I never understood why until today. She called me and told me that since she was 16 years old she'd been hearing voices. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. She said that the voices would constantly tell her that she was worthless, stupid and a disgrace to society that the world would be better off without and that she should kill herself. She never ever wanted to tell anybody about this because she was terrified of losing friends and people thinking she was crazy. Do I think she's crazy? No...I don't...

Yesterday she had called me so completely hysterical and crying that I couldn't even understand her on the phone at all. She kept telling me that she KNOWS I hate her, she KNOWS that I'm annoyed by her, kept calling herself nothing but a bother to me and kept saying that she KNOWS I want to get mad at her, but that wasn't true! It was like she was convincing herself and seeing all these things that just aren't there and they weren't! I explained to her that I'm her older sister, that I love her and that I'll always be there for her no matter what happened. I tried so hard to explain to her that she was NEVER a bother to me, but she just wouldn't listen to me.

Today she called me much calmer, apologized to me for yesterday and finally admitted to me everything that's going on. She said she'd been seeing a psychologist, that she diagnosed my sister with severe anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. My sister told me that she was so overwhelmed last night that while she was laying in bed she was convinced that she heard male voices outside her bedroom door just laughing at her. Her husband was in the room with her and he was trying to reassure her that nothing was there. My sister said she felt like a crazy person...but I truly do not believe she IS crazy. She's just not.

She's going today to see her psychologist again who is referring her to a psychiatrist ASAP so she can get on the medication she needs to help the chemical imbalance in her brain. I think it's wonderful she's going to get the treatment, but I don't know...I just keep thinking to myself what if they don't get her to an appointment on time? What if she tries to hurt herself again?

She was always a cutter when she was younger and I still believe that to this day, she IS a cutter because she said that's the only way the pain would go away is if she cut herself. Another pressing matter on my mind is that she just became a mother. Her little boy Wyatt is only 2 months old...so I'm terrified for my sister. I truly am...Has anybody ever dealt with this?

October 3, 2008, 5:05 PM

Sorry for the small post, But there is a song

http://www.playlist.com/results.php?...izophrenia.mp3

October 3, 2008, 5:10 PM

...How is a song supposed to help me out to better understand this? I'm not posting this topic for joking around here. I'm being completely serious. Also that site is telling me not to download it as it's not safe.

October 3, 2008, 5:13 PM

Play it not download it.

Im sorry, Just trying to brighten the mood....

October 3, 2008, 5:24 PM

Bugger off with inappropriate posts.

Oh my, this makes so much sense. I remember you telling me these stories before. The most important thing is that it's been caught relatively early, before things get out of hand ... again. <_< She's seeing a psychiatrist and she's going to get all the possible help. You know they're going to help her as much as they can if there's a child involved.

Does she have a partner? I can't see any issues arising about her child if there's someone else in the home.

All I can think of is assuring her that she was brave for coming out with the truth and seeking help.

October 3, 2008, 5:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweeney Todd

Bugger off with inappropriate posts.

Oh my, this makes so much sense. I remember you telling me these stories before. The most important thing is that it's been caught relatively early, before things get out of hand ... again. <_< She's seeing a psychiatrist and she's going to get all the possible help. You know they're going to help her as much as they can if there's a child involved.

Does she have a partner? I can't see any issues arising about her child if there's someone else in the home.

All I can think of is assuring her that she was brave for coming out with the truth and seeking help.

Yeah, about how much she'd cut herself and I could never understand why...x_x but now everything makes sense. It's like 5 years worth of never understanding my little sister slapping me in the face.

Yes she does. She's married, and he is there for her. She told me today that Wyatt, her little boy, is the one who's made her realize it's time to come forward with the truth and seek help asap.

I did as much reassuring to her today as I possibly could. I just feel so helpless because we're so far away and I don't know what to do. I feel like I need to help, but I can't do anything except be there over the phone or net. I just don't understand schizophrenia...like, how does it happen? Why does it happen, and of all people why did it have to happen to my little sister?

How can I express to her that she's not crazy and she shouldn't feel like she is crazy?

October 3, 2008, 5:49 PM

I've been around people who suffer from schizophrenia; however, nothing quite as severe as what you're going through with your sister. I had a friend a few years back who went through a rough time with the condition. Fortunately, he was placed on medication that really did help. Hopefully the medication your sister receives will be equally as effective.

Also, you're perfectly right not to think she's crazy. Anyone who thinks otherwise simply doesn't understand what's affecting her. All you can do is be supportive of her and her family. It's not a cure, but it means a lot.

Good luck to you guys, ma'am.

Edit: As for trying to convince her that she isn't crazy, I'd personally try to explain the nature of schizophrenia to her (provided she doesn't already understand it--she may already know). It might not be good enough for her, but it seems like the only logical way of explaining to her that she's not crazy.

October 3, 2008, 9:10 PM

Years ago, my mother used to know this guy. He was nice at first but after a while it all changed. He started complaining, hitting, shouting. He has a 13 year old daughter. Usually he was nice to her. Once I visisted their house. After what happened I never go close to such people. The girl (can't use her name without her permission) always said that she was born at the year of the pig/boar in the chinese year calendar. But then she started telling her dad that the date was incorrect. She said that the year of the boar (1995) starts on Jan 30th and the days before belong to the dog. I know it's stupid but he started arguing that she's a pig and not a dog. He started hitting and shouting. We tried to calm him down and it eventually worked.
Bob (I'll just call him Bob, it's not his real name) always praises himself. Saying that he's the best. It's a different kind of Schizophrenia though.

How to deal with Schizophrenics? I have a gift to deal with such people. You have to use soft words when you speak. Be very calm, try to say something comical. It may be hard in situations like Mandi had experienced.

Mandi
The best thing I'd say is go over to your sister's house. Bring a family album with you, have a cup of tea and maybe bring her a gift. Keep telling her "Thank you for being my sister" and such. It should work, if not than try some other tactics.

October 4, 2008, 12:47 AM

Ack.

I'm sad to hear that Rinoa. Lots of thoughts and feelings must be going through your head now.

I don't know anyone that is a diagnosed schizophrenic.. But I know a manic depressive who I am suspicious of in that way... He claims he is a Wiccan and that he can turn into a dragon on the astral plane. Fair enough, as they are his views, but he occasionally (when out in full public sometimes) stops what he is doing chants in some weird language, screams in loud pain (he claims later because a demon was attacking him and he had to shake him off). Once he ran out of a party into the middle of a field to fight back a demon as he can't do his magic spells in front of non-Wicans. Well I really did not know how to react to this. On the one hand he seemed to really beleive this stuff. On the other, that form of Wiccan is not any Wiccan I am familar with. I didn't think it was a daily war with demons... I always saw Wiccan as a worship of nature and spirits. But anyway... He's been doing it less so hopefully it was a phase. It may have just been that he wanted to conform to the label of "odd" he had been given previously, and wanted to be as odd as possible as a cry of help. Anyway, he is still bizzare and concerns me sometimes. But don't know whether to take it as that, a cry for help to stand out, or something a little more serious (a form of schizophrenia).

As for your sister, I agree with what other people are saying on this. Talk to your sister regulary, and chat. Be happy with her and let her know how much she means to you. Hopefully the treatment she'll recieve will help reduce the effects of her schizophrenia, but in the mean time at least she may have more a feeling that her family are with her all the way.