August 25, 2013

Well my middle daughter who appeared more normal than the other two for quite some time is finally beginning to have a few problems.  She has been on her meds regularly for about a year and a half now, and doing quite well.  Unfortunately, she met a guy, a young guy about six years younger than she is and completely and utterly clueless.  One of his "cousins" has a mental health issue and for some reason my daughter thought she could help him out.  Well I don't know how much helping out she actually did but for the first time in a year and a half she came up about a week short of her medications.......and so the drama begins.

As I have previously stated she has schizophrenia and it is controlled by medications and quite successfully.  She finally got on a formula that works great for her and she has been able to work and maintain which is excellent since drives to the mental health hospital are not the most pleasant. 

Anyway, she reported a couple of days ago that she is experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations.  The deterioration begins with auditory.  Actually the beginning is a disruption of normal sleep patterns and irritability, extreme irritability.  Then her face begins to change some what.  I knew when she came over something was wrong.  I looked in her face and I asked her what's wrong?  I could tell just by her face.  It's not any expressions that she might make or a mean face or a sad face, but its the face and her eyes.  When she deteriorates to this level her face changes.  It looks wrong almost as those she's tormented. 

The problem is during the weekend when the real problems always occur for some reason, there is no help for her.  She ran out of her meds, her appointment for the psychiatrist isn't until Tuesday and she cannot get a refill until then.

Here is where the emergency room at the hospital could really improve in their services.  So many places are offering mental health services especially during the weekends and they will provide meds for just the weekend until the individual can get to the psychiatrist.  In this community, they take one look and ship the person out to wherever there is a bed in a mental health hospital and if there isn't one the person lays in the emergency room bed without meds of any kind.  What's the point?

The problem is many times these types of people do not have the support of their families so they become desperate and often will find themselves in jail over a manic episode.  A complete waste of time and resources and all because they cannot get the meds they need to get them to the next appointment with the psychiatrist.

Well the next hospital board meeting I will be advocating for the improvement of services through the emergency room.  Until then I will continue researching the subject and as a mother I'll just provide support.

You know all I ever wanted to do was cook and bake and decorate cakes.  I wanted my family around me and I just wanted a normal life.  God had something else in mind lol.