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"Their mental health kept getting worse and worse, and what finally helped was starting a DBT (dialectic behavior therapy) program, and now they're in the proce
by oblib 7y ago
"Their mental health kept getting worse and worse, and what finally helped was starting a DBT (dialectic behavior therapy) program, and now they're in the process of getting off all those meds that turned out to be more harmful than helpful."
I'm caring for a family member who's been dealing with serious mental health issues. Hearing voices, not sleeping, crying, screaming and banging and throwing stuff all day and night. It's been tough. I've been attacked twice since they got here.
Not quite two weeks ago I insisted they go see a doctor and get some prescription meds to calm them down and help them sleep at night. The doctor prescribed a generic Prozac and some kind of sedative to take at night.
They're already doing much better. Sleeping all night and no raging. Still crying a bit, but not near as much, and finally a bit more receptive to the behavior therapy I've been offering. They've been seeing a behavioral therapist once a week for a month now and haven't been very receptive to what they're doing but I think showing them some info on how "dialectical behavior therapy techniques" work might encourage them to engage with their therapist more.
So, thank you for sharing that info. I'll be spending some time learning more about that myself now.
- dsego 7y ago> Hearing voices, not sleeping, crying, screaming and banging and throwing stuff all day and night. > The doctor prescribed a generic Prozac and some kind of sedative to take at night. I wonder, would this sedative actually be an anti-psychotic drug? As someone who has a family member with mental illness, these symptoms seem like something that would warrant such medication.
- extra88 7y agoSevere sleep deprivation can cause auditory hallucinations and other problems so first trying to help them get sleep to see how it affects their symptoms is a good idea.
- dsego 7y agoYeah, it's all somehow connected. My sibling's first problems were with sleeping and insomnia, long before the first psychotic breaks (years). Even now it's hard to for them to keep a steady sleeping schedule.
- Rotten194 7y agoYeah I highly recommend DBT, I've done it as well and it's very effective for those kind of sudden onset extreme moods -- it was developed for exactly that.