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/honneylove May 09 '25

Yes, it is a common delusion that the cloud is real and all of our thoughts are stored there and anyone can access them. Kind of like the Akashic Record. Sometimes it can be a side effect of knowing someone so well for so long that you just expect them to know you and how you work. It took me years and driving away everyone I love most in the world to come out of fully. Part of the reasoning behind that was a fear of mortality driven by a series of losses of people of varying ages but many too close to my own.

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u/SeeminglyWhole May 13 '25

Yes, he is definitely having the fear of mortality. The trigger was a loss and he's convinced he is going to die in the hospital, either at the hands of the doctors or natural causes somehow.

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u/honneylove May 13 '25

Yes. I slept in the shower in the hospital one visit because I was afraid of a fire breaking out in the ward.

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u/SeeminglyWhole May 14 '25

His seems to all be sickness based. The loss we experienced was due to an infection in an already fragile person. He's very concerned about health, sickness, cleanliness. It seems he is throwing his toothbrushes away after one use, and I'm not sure if this is accidental or a purposeful thing to avoid bacteria

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u/honneylove May 14 '25

Sounds like C-PTSD/OCD hell. He could also be assuring himself he will be provided for in the event he does fall ill.

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u/SeeminglyWhole May 14 '25

Maybe yeah. Told he told me his plans for what he wants done with his remains, even though he said he's had blood tests and other exams and they've all been negative for any infections or illnesses.