Frequently Asked Questions:
The following questions have been answered by parents who have faced similar questions during their own
child's illness. The answers and strategies presented have been used successfully.
However, just as there are many variations in the symptoms and severity of individual cases of early psychosis,
there are also a variety of answers which may work in each particular case. The answers presented here are not
necessarily the
only answer for your child, and we recommend you consult your mental health professionals for your particular circumstances.
How Long does it take for recovery?
How can I make my son take his medication?
My daughter sleeps 18 hours a day, how should I handle this?
My son has no motivation, how can I tell if it is the illness or just laziness?
The following questions have been answered using the latest research (either published or
presented at recent conferences).
Is mental illness hereditory?
How Long does it take for recovery?
Parents Answer: Recovery appears to be dependant upon many factors, therefore the time for
recovery can be extremely variable.
Factors such as; length of untreated illness, severity
of illness, effectiveness of medication, compliance with medication and family support structure
can all impact recovery time. It is important that you learn all you can about the illness, be as
involved as possible with the mental health professionals, and develop patience and coping
strategies so that you can give the support necessary to help in reducing the recovery time.
Be aware that there is a probability that you may need to adjust your life to help the recovery
process.
As parents we all have a deep love for our children, but when early psychosis is involved,
you will find that you may need to work on your patience, compassion and unconditional love
in sometimes very difficult circumstances. It can be a struggle to love someone who at times
'hates' you, or refuses to take medication, or just isn't in the same reality as you. Your
personal health and coping skills can be a big factor in the recovery process, and as your
child recovers you will find out that they will love you for being there.
Last week as I was on my way out of the door to help teach a psycho-ed class, I asked my
daughter 'if given the opportunity to make one statement to the parents who would be
there,' what would it be? she thought for a second and replied "Tell them not to give up!"
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How can I make my son take his medication?
Parents Answer: There is no simple answer for this question, and it may actually be beyond your
ability to 'make' someone take medication. In fact sometimes the harder you try the more devious
are the attempts to defy you.
So what is the right answer? Probably the best chance you have to help your child with their
medications is to first find out why they don't want to take them. There are actually many reasons
which, in the mind of the person refusing the medication, are quite valid. Reasons such as; Fear,
misguided rationale or just plain forgetfulness. There can be a fear of the side effects, a
fear of losing control, a fear of the stigma associated with medications for mental illness.
The prospect of a lifetime taking medications or of having to make lifestyle changes because of
medications are not particularly inviting reasons to keep taking them. Sometimes the person taking
the medications feels that they are not working, or that they are 'well' now and don't need meds
any more. So as you can see, the situation is not as simple as just not taking meds.
If you can find out the reason your child is not taking their meds, then you are on the way to
solving the problem. There are strategies that you can learn which can be successful for some
of the above reasons of non-compliance. The forgetfulnes issue is relatively simple, you have to
help them
to remember. This doesn't mean 'nagging' them each day as this sometimes only serves to make
them feel inadequate. Instead, help them to remember by setting out their medication for them,
or suggesting that they use a daily 'dispenser'. I understand that some pharmacies are now supplying
'bubble packs' with daily medication separated into individual doses. One strategy I used
successfully was to simply say "How can I help you to take your meds?"
The 'side effects' issue may be solved by negotiation with the doctor. The doctor may be able to
prescribe a different medication with less (or more manageable) side effects, or may be able to
prescribe additional medication to counteract the side effects.
Some of the other reasons for not taking meds are more complex and will need to be handled
individually. In some cases it may take time and hospitalizations before the importance of
the medications is realized by the patient. The good news is that the current 'atypical' anti
psychotic medications are very effective, and new medications and delivery methods are being
developed which will help alleviate these problems of non-compliance.
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My daughter sleeps 18 hours a day, how should I handle this?
Parents Answer: This was an issue which I had to deal with shortly after my daughter was released
from the hospital. I initially put it down to the side effects of the medication but after a little
while I became concerned. Was she being over-medicated? Had she just given up on life? Or was
there another reason? While there was some comfort in the fact that there were no "crises"
during this 'sleeping time', it did not seem right and I talked to the doctor.
I learned that going through a psychotic break is an extremely exausting experience and that the
mind and body
need time to recouperate. I already knew that a side effect of the medication was
to make a person tired or drowsy. The effect of the medication combined with the need for the
mind and body to recover from the psychotic break was causing what seemed to be a problem.
Once
again I had to adjust my 'norms' to allow for this illness. I had discovered that what is
'normal' for someone who
has experienced a psychotic episode is quite different from what is normal for a person who
has not. Once again it was me who had to 'adjust' to accommodate this illness.
Please check with you mental health professionals when ever you have a concern. You may have
a different situation that requires different actions. Be aware though that you will most probably
have to adjust your standards, values and beliefs to deal with the situations you will be
faced with as you deal with psychosis. Keep a positive attitude though, because even though your child is sick, early
psychosis is treatable and recovery can be expected.
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My son has no motivation, how can I tell if it is the illness or just laziness?
Parents Answer: This is another difficult situation. There is no doubt in my mind that in the first few
weeks or months following hospitalization the blame lies solely with the illness. As the child
recovers though and shows initiative or enthusiasm about some things, it is difficult to continue
to 'blame' the illness when there is no motivation in other areas. I know I started to have
expectations and hopes for a speedy, full and complete recovery as soon as I saw 'life' returning
to my daughter. I expected her to be back into the academic side of school, and back on track
with her life. After being dissappointed and frustrated, and thinking my daughter was just being lazy,
I once again had to be educated.
I learned that it was desireable for my daughter to return to school, but initially we should only
be concerned about the
'social' aspects. Maintaining relationships with her peers and slowly re-learning or re-integrating
into school life were the important issues, not academic standards.
One of the issues with psychosis is the effect on cognitive skills and specifically executive
functions of the brain. Issues like memory and concentration along with sequencing, organization
and planning take time to recover. Expecting too much too soon can be a mistake and I learned
that patience is paramount in the recovery process.
It should be pointed out that each case is individual and there is no one answer for all
situations. I t seems to me that it is like a balancing act. You have to have expectations and
should encourage progress towards goals, but you should be aware of the physical limitations
involved.
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Is mental illness hereditory?
"Research indicates that genetics plays an important role in mental illness. In fact
having a family history of mental illness is the biggest single factor for developing mental
illness.
HOWEVER, genes alone do not cause mental illness - we do not inherit mental illness;
we can inherit a vulnerability for developing mental illness.
Mental illness is considered a
"complex" disorder which means there is a genetic component and an environmental component."
[Jehannine Austin - 5th annual Fraser Health Early Psychosis conference February 2005]
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If you have a question you would like to ask please email pspops@psychosissupport.com
Note: We will only contact you if we need clarification.