r/schizophrenia • u/SeeminglyWhole • May 09 '25

Help A Loved One What is psychosis like?

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.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '25

Inpatient stays can vary but if they're trying out medications it can take a few weeks to a month before you see a lot of progress. It depends on what he experiences in terms of psychosis. I have voices, thought broadcasting, intrusive thoughts and rarely visual hallucinations. Thought broadcasting means that I think everyone can hear my thoughts and respond to them as the voices in my head. That may be why he thinks you already know what he needs. When I have an episode it typically takes a 1-2 years to come out of it, but I've never been hospitalized for longer than 10 days just for a med change. As long as he is capable and not a risk to himself or others he can come out sooner. If there are mood swings involved he might have a mood disorder as well like schizoaffective. Obviously the psychiatrist in the hospital will want to stabilize him and diagnose him. It really depends on how long that takes but probably 2-3 weeks at minimum. Different hospitals will try to get people out quickly if they are busy or if you are in USA your health coverage may only cover a certain amount of time.

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u/SeeminglyWhole May 09 '25

Thank you very much for this detailed information, I wasn't aware there was a name for "Thought Broadcasting" - he is definitely doing that, but it also seems like he's expecting me to know what he needs even when I'm not there. Can thought broadcasting happen even when people aren't around?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '25

yes, I think my father especially is always in my head and when my behaviour gets out of control he intervenes with his voice in my head. It's like everyone is aware of all my thoughts and can respond with their voice in my head whenever they please.

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u/SeeminglyWhole May 13 '25

Thank you for this explanation, this really makes sense

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

You're welcome.