I am a carer for my husband who has rapid cycling Bipolar.
We have had some really distressing issues to deal with regarding my youngest son who has been showing increasingly worrying symptoms. Possibly also Bipolar. This has also had a terrible effect on my husband and myself.
To cut a long story short, he was a really happy kid until around 13. He is now 23. Over the last 3 years he has been isolating himself. He has had several suicide attempts and threats.
We became seriously concerned when he accused us of bugging his room and telling the neighbors he is a pedophile. He frequently sent us vile texts telling me to tell my “Narcissistic husband to stop breaking into his head and rearranging his thoughts” Apparently I knew my husband had this power. The choice was that my husband had to kill himself or he would have to end his own life. His walls were entirely covered in gibberish, he refused to wash and locked his door.
I insisted he call the STEP team who did see him for 3 months and he went on meds then they withdrew support and he stopped taking meds, which did help a bit.
We struggled on trying to support him, but he became more and more abusive. He asked me to choose between him and my husband and when I refused, he said I wasn’t his Mother any more and that I was a very unpleasant word beginning with C. He also believes he is the reincarnation of John Lennon and that he is spiritually enlightened and better than us.
He kept sending texts to my husband calling him a loser and that he could beat him in a fight. things came to a head when he physically attacked my husband, throwing him against the wall an shaking his fist in his face. Sadly we had to throw him out. I did call his MH team so they could help him get housing etc.
Because he won’t give consent, I am not allowed to know anything about where he is etc. Since then, his MH team call us quite often wanting to know information on him and his childhood as they aren’t clear what his issues are. Including calling us to tell us he has been asking people where he can buy a gun as he wants to kill his dad. Even with my husband’s life in apparent danger, we were still not allowed to know where my son was living and if he was safe. We called the Police who weren’t allowed to be told anything either.
My husband can be quite paranoid as it is, now he Is convinced his life is in danger. I caught him looking at stab vests recently.
He has been trialing a new medication but it is impossible to monitor how effective it is with this going on.
I cry every day because I need to know what’s happening with my son and I am not allowed to be told anything, I’m also furious with the MH team ringing up and casually giving that information to my poor husband who is still in bits that his son wants him dead. The MH team know my husband has Bipolar.
I feel really let down and isolated. I was offered a Carer’s assessment but my husband hasn’t been offered any support. He has a Psychiatrist but we can never get hold of her.
I haven’t felt able to talk to many friends as it all sounds crazy and dramatic. The couple of people I have spoken about it to, haven’t really been very helpful. I suspect they don’t know what to say.
So I’m afraid that you guys have to read about it.
Sorry.