[Guest]

This has to be one of the worst days of my entire life.

My father has been under massive job stress, and has been acting very strange lately. But I didn't know it was this severe. Last night I get home at about 2:30 am and hes up with my mom, extremely paranoid. Basically his job is very demanding and the things they expect him to do should be done by like 5 people.

Anyways, I guess he woke up my mom and told her to take all of the money out of the savings account to use for bail and getting away because he was thinking he was going to be arrested. I guess he made a few mistakes at work because hes under so much stress and he thinks if the boss finds out, he will have him arrested.

Well things took a turn for the worst, Now he thinks his boss is going to have him or me and my mom killed. It got to a point where at 5 am this morning he woke up my mom & a few hours later woke me up and said we had to leave as soon as possible. Prior to that, the whole night he was going in and out of the house, looking out the window, etc So we rush out of the house at about 8:30 or so and drive around. But me and my mom decide that he needs to get help so we drive him to the emergency room.

After a while we see the on call psychiatrist, and after talking to me and my mom and than my dad, he decides that he needs to be transferred to another hospital where they have a psychiatric ward. They did all kinds of tests on my dad and all of them came back fine. The only physical concern is that my dad has a thyroid problem, and the doctor said it could be what is causing some of this.

Also come to find out, my dad was so stressed from work he took some of my Klonopin which surprised me very much. He is just saying so many irrational/delusional things, and hes so paranoid. I can barely fathom whats goin on right now. It doesn't even seem like its really happening.

To make matters worse we went to visit him at the Psych Ward & it wasn't a pleasent experience. All of the patients were walking around and i was saying to myself " my father doesn't even belong here". When we talked to him he basically just went on & on with the delusional/paranoid talk about how his boss is gonna have people come to the hospital and kill him. He doesn't want me or my mom staying at our house. Its just a huge mess.

I have no idea what to do and its tearing me up inside to see my father like this. He was the last person that I would ever expect something like this to happen to. I figured If anyone, it would be me, who would end up in a damn Psych Ward.

He has to stay there until Monday, and possibly even longer than that. I have no idea what to do or how to handle this. This situation is making me feel about 1000000000000000000000 times worse.

Im literally in shock right now, I cried for the first time in probably 4, 5 years today. I just can't believe this has happened. It almost feels sureal.

I feel like im about to go crazy

I know I made a long post, but I have noone to talk to about this except my mom, I tried calling my therapist but hes away on the weekends. Thankfully I have an appointment with him on Monday.

I just don't know what to do.............

My father is sitting in an isolated room right now, scared out of his mind and I can't do anything to help him.

 

[Guest]

I probably left out some stuff but my mind is in such disarray right now, I can hardly think straight.

 

[Guest]

All I can really say is holy crap what a nightmare you and your family must be going through. Has he ever acted like this before? It is bad enough when you feel like you are losing your mind half the time, and then you have to actually witness somebody close to you going through it must be absolutely horrible. Take care.
Kate

 

[Guest]

the thing is hes never acted like this before, I mean my mom suspected he has been depressed for quite sometime, but I never really viewed him as depressed. This is a total shock to me, Im still in shock right now.

Thanks for the support though

 

[terri*]

Dear SoulBrotha,

I empathise with you and the hard situation you are going thru right now. My Dad is manic/depressive and suffers PTSD from Korea and VietNam. Very recently, and we are talking about a man in his 70's, there were life situations that triggered another manic episode. It is incredible hard to watch your parent become mentally disturbed in front of your very eyes. It is heartbreaking and it is scarey. Even at my age I still expect my parents to be strong and okay. It is surreal like you say. It turns your world upside down.

Going to the psych ward is an awful experience. I am glad you have an appointment with your therapist on Monday. I hope you are able to get thru this without sending your dp thru the roof. Being a source of support for your Mom will help her and give you something to do till they can get your Dad stabilized. There are tough times ahead of you, SB. Stay the course if you can.

Most sincerely,
terri

 

[Guest]

thanks Terri, Im glad someone can relate

I truly appreciate the support

 

[Guest]

I saw my dad today & hes doing better, but they have him on high dosages of alot of medication.

Im still in complete fuckin shock over this situation

it just doesn't make sense

 

[Sojourner]

SoulBrotha,

You will feel better if you think about the fact that your father is likely to get better now that he is getting treatment.

As Wayne Dyer points out, your feeling bad about the suffering of others cannot reduce that suffering. Stop punishing yourself. Pray and ask God to bring you peace. He will do it.

 

[Homeskooled]

Dear Soul,
Wow, I'm really sorry and shocked to hear this. I feel you. I know exactly how I would feel if my dad started acting paranoid or manic. It would break my heart. I'll say a prayer for both of you, but I want you to do something. Put pressure on your Dad's doctor's to treat the thyroid disorder. Hyperthyroidism, having an overactive thyroid gland and an incredibly quick metabolism, can manifest with extreme paranoia, lack of sleep, manic tendencies, etc....Has your dad been looking thinner lately than usual? I knew a man in a psych ward who had SEVERE anger and paranoia issues, and it seemed to me to be related to his thyroid. Rather than treat it, because his doctor's said it wasnt "that bad", they gave him antipsychotics. That will slow down one's thyroid as well, but its only an indirect treatment. And being that your dad was stable until this point, and he has a co-morbid disorder which can cause paranoia, I'd jump on it, get it fixed, and get your Dad back the way he was. Dont let them overlook this sort of stuff. Keep me updated.

Peace
Homeskooled

 

[Guest]

Home thanks for the reply, I appreciate it

I just got back from seeing him. They moved him from the acute unit to a better more freedom filled unit because he didn't belong where they had originally placed him. They are aware of his hyperthyroid problem, and I believe they are giving him the Thyroid medication that he was taking before.

The thing was, over the past few months he was taking a lesser dosage on his own, of the thyroid medication, and I think that is a contributing factor in all of this.

Right now I believe they have him on Respirdal, Lexapro, his Thyroid med, and maybe one other med.

The thing im a little upset with is, he or my family has yet to speak to an actual doctor. We did speak to the Physicians Assistant, but still no sign of the actual Psychiatrist at the hospital where he is staying.

It looks like hes gonna be there for the rest of the week. Hopefully he will make more improvements and be able to be discharged after that time period.

I really don't know

I have an appointmet with my therapist tonight, so maybe he will be able to clear some things up.

Thanks again for the concern

 

[Sojourner]

The family has a RIGHT to speak to the doctor -- your therapist cannot speak for your father's doctor. INSIST on it.

 

[Guest]

This is such a horrible situation

I know for a fact after the last visit, which i just left from, my father isn't better. And hes not staying at the greatest facility on Earth. My mom basically had to make a scene to get some answers from the nurse.

This is a fuckin nightmare

I feel like im going to loose my mind at any second. The last two times ive went and visited my father I have gotten extremely angry & frustrated.

I don't know what to do

I don't understand why this has happened

What if he never gets better? I read an article that said 1 out of every 3 people who suffer from Psychotic Depression have relapses. I can barely deal with this situation now, I can't even imagine a relapse!

 

[Martinelv]

Christ Soul Brotha, that's terrible news. Sorry to hear that mate. Luckily I have a very strong family, and if one of them had a breakdown when I was in the throes of DR/DP, I'm sure I would have probably gone completely la-la.

No wise words from me today (as if I ever do), but I'm thinking of you buddy. I'm sure your father will recover soon.

 

[M A R S]

Man, this is some bad shit. I will put you on the top of my list for prayers. You need it.

I would like to know tho, are any of the issues your dad was freaking out about real?

I can understand when people in the family lose control.

I lost 2 of my brothers to drugs. My one brother was addicted to smack and xanax and i had to take care of him like he was 9 years old. Up and down, blown out on drugs and in the depths of detox seizures and all.

He would over does at least once a month and i would have to have the ambulance come and bring back from the edge of death. He killed himself on May 8th 2000, the 7 year anniversary of my other brothers death.

I'm glad your dad is getting help, my brother was beyond help. Just try to stay as strong as you can at this hard time.

You will make it!

 

[gem]

Soulbrotha, I am so sorry you are going through such a frightening time. It makes us feel helpless when one of our loved ones is ill. We want to make them well and at the same time we cannot believe that they are ill. The stress your father is under and the thyroid problem probably is why he is feeling unwell. Stress can do alot of things to the human mind and body. It breaks your heart to see your father unwell. Please know it is okay for you to share your feelings here and we will do as much as we can to help you get through this painful time. Your father will be okay again. You are in my prayers.

gem.

 

[Guest]

Martin and Gem, Thanks for the support/concern. Lord knows I need it right now.

Spaceplex, thanks as well, and to answer your question. We aren't sure if everything my father was/is worried about was real. We do know at least one of the issues was infact true, but due to his psychotic episode he blew it way out of proportion. Also Spaceplex, sorry to hear that about your brother.

I just question if he will ever be the same after all of this and if he isn't, I have no idea as to how I will handle that.

 

[sebastian]

SB,

Sorry to hear about your Dad, and consequently the effect it's having on you. Something like that would freak me out too. As DP people we are so resistent to any kind of change and when something like this happens, which really sends one for a whirl, it can be very difficult to cope.

The good news for you though is that nothing has really changed as far as your mental condition is concerned. You're still suffering from acute anxiety which brings on the feelings of DP. I know what you must be feeling is probably untranslatably horrible, but you know that it's still the same thing you had before, just amplified because of the stress you're going through. You'll get over this just like you were getting over DP before. You're strong. Use that strength to be a pillar for the rest of your family right now and stop worrying about your own condition and I think you'll notice that your condition will take care of itself. And you'll all be better off.

Anyway, I hope it works out for you and your family.

s.

 

[Monkeydust]

SB, I can't begin to think what all of this must be like - especially since it's on top of the anxiety and DP you already have.

There's not much practical advice I can give that hasn't already been said. I don't know much about these things. But, at the age he is, I expect your father will recover and is unlikely to have any major relapses. If he was under stress that shows that this is not his natural mental state, but that he has rather been pushed to breaking-point under pressure.

Stay as strong as possible. Don't let what's happened affect your life as much as it can - I'm sure your Dad, once he's recovered, will be happier knowing that your quality of life has been affected as little as possible. And don't hesitate to come on here to post about it. It's what this place is for.

All the best, hope it all sorts out as soon as possible,
MonkeyD.

 

[Guest]

Monkeydust and Sebastian thanks for the encouraging words

My mom just got back from speaking to the social worker at the hospital and my father is doing much better. They have him in Lexapro, Klonopin, and Respirdal which they are going to be taking him off of. They want to see what happens after they take him off the Respirdal because that was most likely the med that was preventing the paranoia and delusions. They said he should be discharged by Friday.

They are going to set him up with a Nurse Practioner, recommended by my therapist, who does therapy and perscribes medication. And they are also going to set him up with an Outpatient program.

He should be out of work 4 to 6 weeks, and he will probably collect unemployment.

Hopefully things will improve

I just want to thank everyone for the encouragement and insight.

 

[blackwinded]

hi soulbrotha,

i'm really sorry your going through this. I'm in a very similar situation to your father, and i often see how hard it can be on family members.
I've been to the psych ward myself many times for paranoid delusions and hallucinations (i have schizophrenia) and the worst part of it is always to see what it does to my family. Makes them really worried and sad.

But i'm sure your dad will get through this. I've heard that thyroid problems can cause psychotic symptoms, and im sure once they get him on some kind of thyroid medication, things will get a lot better.

Your dad's situation at work reminded me of my mom's. She's also working a job in which she is expected to do so many things that really about 3 or 4 people should be working on. She doesn't get paid much for all the work she does either. It makes me worried because i know she's under a lot of stress and she's always very tired when she comes home. I'm afraid she wont be able to handle it all after a while.

-becka