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What is really wrong with my daughter??!
--Hello, Hello To You All!!
God knows I have my own issues - but I am truly concerned about my daughter, Stephanie. Several years ago, she came up to me quietly and began telling me about peculiar things that she was experiencing. She spoke about someone waking her at night by knocking on her front door .. and she heard "people" - she didn't know whom, but they were talking about her .. watching everything she did. There were other things but one day she asked me to carefully look outside the window ... I asked why? She told me that the people that lived across from her where following her everywhere ... and they always drove a green van. I thought it was some kind of a joke ... but I could see on her face that she was truly frightened! She saw 'them' everywhere we went. She always saw them driving nearby or lurking someplace. She was already in counseling, but she wouldn't tell anyone there what she was going through. In Iess than 2 weeks she was seeing and hearing alot of things. She began leaving the house in the middle of the night, she would wander, sometimes for miles while my husband followed her. I had to turn the bolt locks inside the house and lock us in ... she was adamant that she had to leave ... but when I asked where, she wouldn't tell me ... or she simply didn't have an answer. She became 'manic' in her restlessness .. she would run back and forth, from the front door the the back for 20 minutes and then collapse from .. exhaustion. Her 'shrink' was on vacation - no one would contact him ... and I gave those people at the mental health facility absolutely no rest! I called and called ... and demanded that they DO something!! After approx. 10 days of watching my daughter pace and scream and fight to be released to go "someplace" - a trio of people showed up to speak with her. They had to determine whether she was a threat to herself, etc. Since she was legally an adult, the state wouldn't allow family to 'commit' her .. only they could decide that. It didn't take more then 15 minutes and the ambulance was on it's way. I will never forget how she screamed and cried as they strapped her into the gurney ... she promised she would "be good" if I didn't make them take her away. Stephanie has mild cerebral palsy and she doesn't care for social situations or strangers ... that's why her wanting to 'go somewhere' was so not her! -- In the hospital she still saw the 'green van' people .. other people that weren't really there came to 'visit' as well. But boy, she wouldn't have anything to do with me. To this day she blames me for being taken to the hospital. And she will not talk about it. Any of it. She says it didn't happen.
The Doctor at the hospital had no definitive diagnosis. He didn't believe it was schizophrenia ... he wasn't even willing to say that she had had a pychotic break of some kind. Her shrink came back from vacation and began putting her on ... antipychotic's. Hmmm, imagine. She is currently on Zyprexa. She has gone from a size 0-1 to a size 14 and has struggled to get her weight down - which she has somewhat. But she doesn't seem like the same person she was before. It's as though she has mentally regressed. She asks the same questions over and over, as though she doesn't believe the first 3 family members who gave her the same answer. She's unsure of her choices. She's not happy anymore .. not really. She has NO friends ... she makes no social connections outside of her immediate family. I can see she's lonely ... and she's obcessive. If she 'see's' or 'hears' anything these days, she doesn't speak of it. She gets angry if we mention it at all. She doesn't even tell her Doctor or her counselor.
I am concerned about the meds that she is taking. They seem to have taken her personality away. And sometimes she becomes hostile ... mean ... and she'll smile when she creates alot of frustration. I remember that she used to do that when she was much younger ... but I thought it was just her way of tyring to bug her sisters. I wonder what would happen if she stopped the antipychotics. I have never been satisfied with a lack of a real diagnosis. She doesn't seem to 'fit' into the classic manic-depressive 'ping-pong' type behavior. BUT....???
I thank you for putting up with my l-o-n-g story ... thank you, thank you !! I would so-o appreciate your idea's, suggestions .. feedback. I don't think her needs are being treated properly - I want to help her find herself again!
Bless you all for your help and concern ! Goodnight ... Well, actually Good Morning now!
God knows I have my own issues - but I am truly concerned about my daughter, Stephanie. Several years ago, she came up to me quietly and began telling me about peculiar things that she was experiencing. She spoke about someone waking her at night by knocking on her front door .. and she heard "people" - she didn't know whom, but they were talking about her .. watching everything she did. There were other things but one day she asked me to carefully look outside the window ... I asked why? She told me that the people that lived across from her where following her everywhere ... and they always drove a green van. I thought it was some kind of a joke ... but I could see on her face that she was truly frightened! She saw 'them' everywhere we went. She always saw them driving nearby or lurking someplace. She was already in counseling, but she wouldn't tell anyone there what she was going through. In Iess than 2 weeks she was seeing and hearing alot of things. She began leaving the house in the middle of the night, she would wander, sometimes for miles while my husband followed her. I had to turn the bolt locks inside the house and lock us in ... she was adamant that she had to leave ... but when I asked where, she wouldn't tell me ... or she simply didn't have an answer. She became 'manic' in her restlessness .. she would run back and forth, from the front door the the back for 20 minutes and then collapse from .. exhaustion. Her 'shrink' was on vacation - no one would contact him ... and I gave those people at the mental health facility absolutely no rest! I called and called ... and demanded that they DO something!! After approx. 10 days of watching my daughter pace and scream and fight to be released to go "someplace" - a trio of people showed up to speak with her. They had to determine whether she was a threat to herself, etc. Since she was legally an adult, the state wouldn't allow family to 'commit' her .. only they could decide that. It didn't take more then 15 minutes and the ambulance was on it's way. I will never forget how she screamed and cried as they strapped her into the gurney ... she promised she would "be good" if I didn't make them take her away. Stephanie has mild cerebral palsy and she doesn't care for social situations or strangers ... that's why her wanting to 'go somewhere' was so not her! -- In the hospital she still saw the 'green van' people .. other people that weren't really there came to 'visit' as well. But boy, she wouldn't have anything to do with me. To this day she blames me for being taken to the hospital. And she will not talk about it. Any of it. She says it didn't happen.
The Doctor at the hospital had no definitive diagnosis. He didn't believe it was schizophrenia ... he wasn't even willing to say that she had had a pychotic break of some kind. Her shrink came back from vacation and began putting her on ... antipychotic's. Hmmm, imagine. She is currently on Zyprexa. She has gone from a size 0-1 to a size 14 and has struggled to get her weight down - which she has somewhat. But she doesn't seem like the same person she was before. It's as though she has mentally regressed. She asks the same questions over and over, as though she doesn't believe the first 3 family members who gave her the same answer. She's unsure of her choices. She's not happy anymore .. not really. She has NO friends ... she makes no social connections outside of her immediate family. I can see she's lonely ... and she's obcessive. If she 'see's' or 'hears' anything these days, she doesn't speak of it. She gets angry if we mention it at all. She doesn't even tell her Doctor or her counselor.
I am concerned about the meds that she is taking. They seem to have taken her personality away. And sometimes she becomes hostile ... mean ... and she'll smile when she creates alot of frustration. I remember that she used to do that when she was much younger ... but I thought it was just her way of tyring to bug her sisters. I wonder what would happen if she stopped the antipychotics. I have never been satisfied with a lack of a real diagnosis. She doesn't seem to 'fit' into the classic manic-depressive 'ping-pong' type behavior. BUT....???
I thank you for putting up with my l-o-n-g story ... thank you, thank you !! I would so-o appreciate your idea's, suggestions .. feedback. I don't think her needs are being treated properly - I want to help her find herself again!
Bless you all for your help and concern ! Goodnight ... Well, actually Good Morning now!
This all happened several years ago from what I read.
I wonder what kind of care she has been getting from her doctors over the years?
I would say she definately needed an anti psychotic, though you do not seem to really think that?
Some of the problems you describe of her loosing her personality(though often a side effect of anti psychotic) can be part of schizophrenia, but are also treatable to some extent.
So she has been on Zyprexa for several years? What dose has she been on? I know it is a drug that you can stabilise on and sometimes the doctors try reducing it to see how low you can go.
I would go for a second opinion. What does she think of getting a second opinion and looking for better treatment?
I wonder what kind of care she has been getting from her doctors over the years?
I would say she definately needed an anti psychotic, though you do not seem to really think that?
Some of the problems you describe of her loosing her personality(though often a side effect of anti psychotic) can be part of schizophrenia, but are also treatable to some extent.
So she has been on Zyprexa for several years? What dose has she been on? I know it is a drug that you can stabilise on and sometimes the doctors try reducing it to see how low you can go.
I would go for a second opinion. What does she think of getting a second opinion and looking for better treatment?
If she stopped the anti psychotics she may very well become dangerous to you or herself.
As Bulldozer said never stop medications. Never.
It sounds to me like the time has come to get a second opinion as suggested, there is something wrong here and non of us are doctors but the diagnosis of not shizophrenia sounds like a doctor not wanting to make a decision to me - the fact she had a mild disability already coupled with the very real tendency of doctors to err on the side of caution can easily explain a lack of a real diagnosis.
No she isnt bipolar based on what oyu say but from the laymans position she sounds schizopherenic at the least. (manic depression died as a DSM term a long time ago and is not used any longer - it has a lot of incorrect and negative connotations to a lot of us BP's BTW)
Seek another doctor, do not take her off meds, this is dangerous in so many ways its not funny.
As Bulldozer said never stop medications. Never.
It sounds to me like the time has come to get a second opinion as suggested, there is something wrong here and non of us are doctors but the diagnosis of not shizophrenia sounds like a doctor not wanting to make a decision to me - the fact she had a mild disability already coupled with the very real tendency of doctors to err on the side of caution can easily explain a lack of a real diagnosis.
No she isnt bipolar based on what oyu say but from the laymans position she sounds schizopherenic at the least. (manic depression died as a DSM term a long time ago and is not used any longer - it has a lot of incorrect and negative connotations to a lot of us BP's BTW)
Seek another doctor, do not take her off meds, this is dangerous in so many ways its not funny.
Hi, and welcome to the site.
First off I would suggest getting a second opinion if you are not happy with the diagnosis that you already have. Secondly please do not under any circumstances consider taking your daughter off her medications.
Sometimes the dosages of medications can alter a personality, looking back to when this happened to me I now see this as the only way my mind was able to heal. Obviously nobody wants to remain numb or "not their real self" and over time the dosages were lessened and parts of the real me came back.
It is bound to be very hard for you to see your daughter behaving like a different person but is this not better than watching her pace backwards and forwards, seeing and hearing people in the green van?
As I said earlier, if you have doubts then take her for a second opinion. Listen carefully to what the psych is saying. It could be that the dosages she is currently taking will in time be reduced or it could be that they want to try something different. You don't say when this all started but it will take time for your daughter to "find herself" again and I'm talking in months and years not weeks.
You obviously care very deeply and want the best for your daughter and she is lucky to have a mum who is so supportive. BP is very frustrating, not just for us but for those who live with us, so I do understand. When you see the new psych (or go back to the old one if necessary) have written down all your concerns - at the end of the day you are living with your daughter, you witness her moods, emotions etc.
On the forum we offer as much support as we can, we come from all walks of life - there is no need to apologise for posting and we will do our best to help you within our individual capabilities.
:-)
First off I would suggest getting a second opinion if you are not happy with the diagnosis that you already have. Secondly please do not under any circumstances consider taking your daughter off her medications.
Sometimes the dosages of medications can alter a personality, looking back to when this happened to me I now see this as the only way my mind was able to heal. Obviously nobody wants to remain numb or "not their real self" and over time the dosages were lessened and parts of the real me came back.
It is bound to be very hard for you to see your daughter behaving like a different person but is this not better than watching her pace backwards and forwards, seeing and hearing people in the green van?
As I said earlier, if you have doubts then take her for a second opinion. Listen carefully to what the psych is saying. It could be that the dosages she is currently taking will in time be reduced or it could be that they want to try something different. You don't say when this all started but it will take time for your daughter to "find herself" again and I'm talking in months and years not weeks.
You obviously care very deeply and want the best for your daughter and she is lucky to have a mum who is so supportive. BP is very frustrating, not just for us but for those who live with us, so I do understand. When you see the new psych (or go back to the old one if necessary) have written down all your concerns - at the end of the day you are living with your daughter, you witness her moods, emotions etc.
On the forum we offer as much support as we can, we come from all walks of life - there is no need to apologise for posting and we will do our best to help you within our individual capabilities.
:-)
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