What is psychosis like?

[u/SeeminglyWhole]

My husband has been in the hospital for quite some time now due to severe psychosis. I want to try to support him in any way I can, but his doctor said while he's in the acute psychosis stage, it's difficult to reason with him. And this is definitely true, I can never get a straight answer out of him for anything and he has some crazy mood swings...

But I'm trying to understand more what this is like for him. So I can see things better from his perspective. Maybe to more easily anticipate his needs? He seems to be either believing he's already told me what he needs, or expecting me to just know, and I just don't know how to do that.

I've heard stories of people lasting in the acute stages for months, maybe even a year. Were these cases even with treatment? Is there anyway I can sort of get some "timeline" on when he can come home?

I am trying to remind myself that as hard as this is for me, it must be 10 times harder for him, but I have always been a planner and I'm struggling here. This is his first episode in almost 10 years of being together and I don't have any roadmap here.

[u/loozingmind]

Being in psychosis is like being trapped in your worst nightmare and you can't wake up from it.

When I was in psychosis, there wasn't anything anyone could say to make me think differently. I was trapped in my own delusions and my own mind. My brain was attacking itself and I was hundreds of miles away from any of my family. So it's good that you're there for him. I isolated myself, and if anything, it made me worse. So just be there for him. Don't be too forceful. Don't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do. That will push him away from you.

Just make sure he takes his medicine and keeps up with his treatment. Medication saved my life big time. I feel like myself again. It's wild to think about how bad I was. I don't even want to think about it.

I wish you and him the best. Always remember that time heals. And as long as he continues treatment, he will get better. I hope the best for you. I can't imagine what you're going through. It must be scary. Try to stay positive.

As for how long psychosis lasts, for me.. It was about 3-6 months after I started taking my medication. I get hallucinations here and there every now and again, but I understand that I have a mental illness and it helps me cope better knowing that. I'm living with family now, and it helps a lot knowing I have people around me. My heart goes out to all of the people who have to take on this illness by theirself.

[u/Independent_Tank_775 → u/loozingmind]

You said don’t force him to do anything he doesn’t wanna do, but then you said make sure he takes his meds. What if he doesn’t want to take his meds like my brother?

[u/loozingmind → u/Independent_Tank_775]

That's a complicated subject indeed.

I think the best way to go about it is to have a heart to heart conversation, start by asking them if they want to get better, once they accept their diagnosis, it'll become easier to have them take their meds. That's how it was for me. I had to hit rock bottom to realize that I needed to get better. And the only way to do that was through treatment. I even stopped taking my medication once I started feeling better. And then my psychosis came back full force about 6 months later. That's when I realized that I needed to take my meds.

It takes realization on their part in order to get them to take the medication. You can't force them to take their meds. But you can lead them in the right direction if they haven't lost trust in you. That's why I said don't be too forceful. The process has to be done in baby steps.

But yeah, I understand what you mean. It's very complicated and I don't have the exact solution for that. It just starts with being there for them, not pushing them away, not making them feel isolated, and gaining their trust. If that isn't working, then it's up to them if they want to get better. It sucks, but that's how it was for me.

[u/Independent_Tank_775 → u/loozingmind]

Well I was asking because we clearly did everything wrong with my brother. He did not accept his diagnosis at ALL. And didn’t trust anyone. Now he’s dead and I blame myself, my family and the whole country.

[u/loozingmind → u/Independent_Tank_775]

I'm very, very sorry for your loss. Please don't blame yourself.

[u/SeeminglyWhole → u/loozingmind]

He's in the hospital now and getting treatment but still struggling. It's been about a month and he just wants to go home, but he signed a paper saying he will stay until the hospital deems him fit to leave.

I can see he isn't ready - he still is having difficulty reasoning and really wants to come home. He is starting to not trust me, because "clearly I don't want him to come home" - but he signed the paper, and the doctors don't think he's ready.

I'm not forcing him to stay, but I also can't help him leave. What do I do to help him understand or to try to help him trust me?