My partner had a psychotic episode
Hi, I hope this post is allowed.
My partner has experienced her second psychotic breakdown (currently sectioned), while I’ve only known her for a year the second breakdown happened years ago, therefore this is my first time dealing with and processing all the emotions there is in regards to this situation.
I’m writing this down to perhaps talk to someone or get a better understanding of what is going on at the moment. While I’ve already researched various resources such as medical journals, medical and psychological literature in relation to a psychotic episode.
It feels like at the moment I’ve got more questions than answers, and I’ve realised the best I can do to support her is to sort out my emotional distress through relating to other’s experiences and try to get some answers to the questions I’m wondering about. Then after that reflect on the issues both me and my partner have experienced and which probably escalated the episode to ensure both of us can get through things together and that I’ve at least got some of my thoughts sorted out while I do my best to support her.
First of all both of us tend to be quite messy people which is reflected in the organisation of our place, as well as in general struggling with executive dysfunction probably caused by autism and ADHD. In that regards, I’m going to reflect on why I struggle to keep the room tidy, the reason why I struggle with doing an activity X and Y. So basically try to do an organised approach to this issue, and perhaps introduce it to her when she’s ready to deal with these issues.
The other thing I’m curious about is if it’s normal someone the first week on medication keeps swinging up and down on their state, as in one day seeming normal and abnormal the other day.
I’m also wondering if people tend to remember the episode and if not should I not mention the episode or should I do it?
Any tips or advice to support her when she comes out of the ward?
@Tillywi Thank you for sharing here. I really commend you for talking about it and for supporting your partner through a tough time. It is very kind and thoughtful of you
I am sorry to hear that your partner had a psychotic breakdown. It must be very hard on both of you. Your feelings regarding how to best support your partner are all valid. It can be very hard to see our loved ones go through a psychotic breakdown, while we try to make sense of it and how to best support them and ourselves. It can make us feel like we have not done enough
I think you have already taken one of the major steps in supporting your partner by reading medical journals and other resources. Psychosis is stigmatized. I think having more understanding of it can surely help understand our loved ones better who are going through psychosis
I think it makes sense that you would have more questions than answers. This is a an upsetting time for both of you. I am glad that you are doing what you think is the best by sorting out your own emotional distress as it can help both you and your partner
I think it is really great that you will be trying a more organized approach to the issue. I tend to be messy too and it can be really hard
Medication can have so many side effects and some of those side effects may be present in some people while some of them may not be present in others. Some side effects may be more intense in some people while not in others. Medication can react differently to different people. It can also take some time to adjust to medication. A doctor would be able help with medication
I experience psychosis which have sometimes resulted in hospitalization. I think the best support anyone can give is to be just there for the person going through psychosis or when your partner comes out of the ward. Your partner might not want to talk all at once about all their experiences. Personally I often feel embarrassed after my psychotic episodes and feel confused with some difficulty expressing my emotions and feelings. Sometimes I have difficulty understanding things after an episode and prefer that if someone speaks to me, that they speak in shorter simpler sentences which I can understand. In those times my mind does not feel very capable of understanidng complex sentences. After a while I start feeling "fine" again
Your partner experience may be entirely different as each person is unique and all emotions are valid. I think being there for your partner and letting them know that you are there for them if they want to talk about anything, can help to make your partner feel more supported. They may blame themselves for it and it can help to remind them that the psychosis breakdown was not their fault
I think you are already doing the best that you can in supporting them which is truly amazing. Do take care of your mental health too as your feelings emotions are valid too :)
Thank you for being brave enough to share this. I haven't personally experienced psychosis myself, but have had to watch my brother go through it the last 4 years. His was drug induced at 20 years old. It's very hard to watch someone you know and love, act like a completely different person, their face being the same but the person inside changed and unfamiliar. It takes a long, emotionally draining time to process it, do not neglect yourself in the process. You need to be well yourself in order to support her. The medication side of things, it is normal from my experience, my brother was very up and down, suicidal and crying one day to very angry and cocky the next. It took a lot of therapy for him to be okay, and sometimes he still slips up. We did family therapy too which helped re-establish those relationships and gave us an open space to communicate those feelings we had, if you're struggling and she is too if she is released, that may be an idea if it could work for you. If she comes off medication, it will be a rough ride too, the withdrawals take a while and it's hard to see, so make sure you are emotionally prepared for that and ensure she is in a safe environment for it. You will always have more questions than answers, four years down the line my family still don't understand how it happened, why he saw the things he did and acted the way he did. Because it's so out of character, so awful to see. The important part is the communication after, and moving forward, even if you still have questions, she is bound to have them too, but a positive outlook, baby step goals is the way to go. The questions will have eventual answers. My brother remembers his episodes, he hates talking about them, he remembers what he said, did, but it doesn't feel like him properly. I can't say his experience will speak for hers, but again, if therapy is something she'd be open to, I'd highly suggest it.
