Posted by brussell on December 11, 2003, at 11:11:47
In reply to Schizophrenia, posted by Kinny on December 10, 2003, at 5:14:26
> I am here as a parent and would like to know if anyone can share how this disorder presented in their child. I have a 16 yr old son.
> He has gone through a bad time recently but says everything is ok. I don't know if he is hiding his pain and symptoms or not out of fear of having to take another med or going to the hospital.
>
> Thanks
> Kinny
Hi,I'm terribly sorry for both you and your son. Schizophrenia is a terrible thing to have to deal with, but remember that many people go on to have very good lives in spite of it.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
Your son's concerns about medication and hospitalization need to be respected by everyone involved in his treatment. It is a terrible thing to have your autonomy destroyed by a mental illness just when most people one's age are becoming more and more independent. As much as is possible, your son should feel that he has a significant role in choosing treatment.
Make sure he is seeing an experienced therapist regularly whom he likes and trusts. He should be able to share his feelings without fear of being hospitalized--with the exception of cases when he is in obvious danger.
Hopefully you have access to a good psychiatrist who is sympathetic to your son's concerns about medications. If your son is having problems with side-effects, his doctor should take that seriously and try something different. There are a very wide variety of antipsychotics available now, some of which have very good side-effect profiles.
Best wishes to you and your son.
poster:brussell
thread:288260
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/288752.html