My son was originally diagnosed in 2010 with schizoid personality disorder. In the doctor’s report, he states it’s unclear whether his condition would progress into frank schizophrenia (paraphrasing). Then in 2013, he was involuntarily committed to a state mental facility and there the doctor diagnosed him paranoid schizophrenia. Has anybody ever heard of this kind of thing happening and what IS happening here? His brain was getting worse or what? Is it common for someone to go from SPD to paranoid SZ?
When I was 15 and 16 I got a lot of different diagnoses as well… I don’t think the docs wanted to paste the worst label on me before they were sure… I was diagnosed with PTSD… OCD… Schizoaffective Disorder…
Plus… it’s been said that puberty and teen age hormones have an effect on all this brain wiring. I think the docs were waiting to see if I would
a) out grow it
Or
b) get worse
With pot smoking and drinking, (messing with the brain development) I got worse…
But at least I’m doing better now.
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When I was first put into a private mental hospital they diagnosed me as “major depressive with psychotic features”. After a while they added the diagnosis “schizoid personality disorder”. I think they specified that this diagnosis meant that my inner, fantasy life had more importance to me than my regular everyday life. I got another personality disorder diagnoses to go with that, but I can’t remember what it was. A lot of the time all these diagnoses can get blurred. The important thing is to evaluate the diagnoses in the light of how the doctors are evaluating your son. Sometimes you need to dig your heels in to get the right amount of care for your son.
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Yeah, the pot smoking isn’t supposed to be good, he doesn’t drink a lot, thankfully, and mainly really, his dad, whom he lives with (and sister with 2 year old twins) rations his smoke, cigs only allowed 2 packs a day (!) certain amount of you-know-what, and two big beers a day. Even the amount of money he can have a day. It sounds really unfair, but otherwise he’d blow through all of that in about three days! No amount of trying to explain to him, he’s going to run out before his next check, does any good. I know there are classes or whatever at the local family/mental health facility here and he could even walk there, but he doesn’t want to go. I’m glad you’re better than you were before. He is too!
His diagnosis of paranoid SZ was two years ago and I’m still in the grieving stage (?) if you will, but I’m trying to learn as much as possible. My interest is to help my son as much as I can without enabling his substance abuse. When he first got home from the hospital (one month stay) he looked so different! He’d lost quite a bit of weight, and he was completely manic and delusional, just talking and talking (he doesn’t talk much at all now) And as the bus driver lady from the hospital, who had delivered him home, was leaving, he said, “Thanks for the ride, and hey! I’d love to come back and stay again sometime.” She said, “No, Nathan, that’s what you DON’T want to do.” He was trying to be polite . . . awww . . . just strange thought pattern. But at least he was doing things then, like going to the mental health place for this social group, he would go a couple times a week. And he wanted to go out to dinner and to family functions, etc. Now he stays home all the time. I don’t know what to expect. I still feel new to this.