Posted by Quintal on December 16, 2006, at 19:12:40
In reply to Re: My Wife-To-Be and Me, posted by Non Heroe on December 16, 2006, at 18:21:10
I have a friend who suffers from schizophrenia and is now off meds. She just gave birth to a baby girl. I understand your concern as my friend also has frequent relapses, and has had since the death of her first child (the pdoc discharged her during the middle of her second pregnancy to reduce his waiting list and she suffered a psychotic episode). She is no longer taking any meds that I know of and the pdoc is not interested in giving her any.
There is very little you can do to get a stable person to take meds, only be supportive, try to minimize any stress she's exposed to and watch carefully for signs of psychosis and instability. Trying to encourage her to take meds may have the opposite effect, provoking hostility and distrust which can lead to paranoia and other psychotic symptoms (in my friend at least). My guess is that she's enjoying the sense of freedom and independence from meds and pdocs she now has and is reluctant to give it up while she's well.
I wonder if you could both agree to a plan of action of some sort in the event she suffers another psychotic episode? Perhaps a list of her preferred treatment options and a clear idea of treatments she considers unacceptable or last-ditch efforts may help her feel more comfortable with the idea?
I don't think a major breakdown is *guaranteed* if you can both recognise the warning signs and agree to take action. I know how difficult that can be though. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but there's no easy answer in these circumstances.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:714320
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061212/msgs/714376.html