First Psychosis: What to do next
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Anonymous
There are many infections that can cause psychosis, including step, Bartonella, Lyme. Mold exposure will cause this in some people also. As others have said, it could be drugs. Make sure you find a doctor who is going to investigate all possible causes rather than just putting her on antipsychotic meds. Fourteen is very young for something like schizophrenia to appear. I bet there’s something else going on. |
Anonymous
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Yeah good luck finding a doctor to screen for the unusual causes of psychosis. It was very difficult to get a full work up for an adult male. Local DMV people were pretty lousy.
I only got him screened after switching to a conceirge internist. |
Anonymous
| 14 is young for onset of schizophrenia. What work up did they do at the Children's Hospital? I second or third the rec to go on a gluten-free/keto diet and get a proper work up. |
Anonymous
| Aside from cannabis it could be mushrooms which could definitely cause psychotic behavior if too much is taken. They may not tell you if they did this but may open up to a doctor/therapist |
Anonymous
| OP Here. We're in MD. The Children's ER recommended her to be seen by a psychiatrist. Also, to look into https://firstepisodeclinic.org/ and the Heartwood program. I reached out to both facilities. I was told that DD's not eligible for the former (they don't accept people with autism). I'm still waiting to hear back from the latter. She's seen by two psychiatrists so far, which totally didn't get her - couldn't make a connection nor have a conversation with her for more than 5 mins before prescribing meds. Can someone pls recommend a provider or program who's experienced with adolescent with autism and auditory hallucinations? I |
Anonymous
But it does happen. The only schizophrenic I know was diagnosed at that age. My friend's little sister. |
Anonymous
I’m in Nova where each county treats its residents for psychosis. Those psychiatrists will have the right knowledge since so many folks with autism also have bipolar or schizophrenia. Your normal psychiatrist is way out of their league for these issues. I’d definitely go to a local NAMI group, they will definitely have recent experiences with MD resources. Is your kid on stimulants? For a small percent of people it triggers mania and psychosis. |
Anonymous
This is a good point. I thought though that those drugs can *trigger* latent schizophrenia. So stopping the drugs won’t resolve the hallucinations necessarily. |
Anonymous
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Is your kid on asthma medication? Singular?
Some taking montelukast (brand name Singular)started to develop strange psychiatric symptoms. They became unusually irritable, and they experienced visual and auditory hallucinations, insomnia and even suicidal thoughts. |
Anonymous
This happened to my kid. Visual and auditory hallucinations, which went away 3-4 weeks after stopping it. It took a good psychiatrist and psychologist to get us through it: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/health/fda-singulair-asthma-drug-warning.html |
Anonymous
Thirding this. |
Anonymous
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There’s not much diagnosis at younger ages because the docs are reluctant to diagnose. But in adult groups many sufferers started as young teens.
Johns Hopkins is by far the best hospital for this illness. Call over there. |
Anonymous
But 14 year olds didn't start with full on auditory hallucinations bad enough to have to go to the emergency room that she is yelling to make it stop. Other symptoms star first. OP has your daughter had these prodromal symptoms (prodromal is before the onset of a disease like mental illness)? These are from UCLA Assessment of Prodromal states. If not then look first to other causes- medication side effect, virus, etc. Signs and Symptoms While each person’s prodrome is unique, there are some common themes to look out for. Early signs and symptoms can include any of the following: Unusual Thinking Confusion about what is real and what is imaginary Suspiciousness or paranoid thinking Feeling that your ideas are or behaviors are being controlled by outside forces Unrealistic ideas of special identity or abilities Preoccupation with the supernatural Perceptual Disturbances Sensitivity to sounds, easily distracted by background noises Hearing things that other people don’t hear Seeing things that others don’t see Smelling, tasting, or feeling unusual sensations that other people don’t experience Negative Symptoms Wanting to spend more time alone Not feeling motivated to do things Trouble understanding conversations or written materials Difficulty identifying and expressing emotions Disorganized Symptoms Trouble with attention Neglect of personal hygiene Odd appearance or behavior Laughing at odd or inappropriate times Problems with communication: vague, confused, muddled, racing or slow speech, difficulty staying on track or getting to the point |
Anonymous
I'm so sorry. We are dealing with this with our 22yo for the past 18 months and it's really, really rough. I'm not in DC so I can't give recs but you will likely have better luck with NAMI than asking random people here. They have staffed hotlines (daytime) and can give you local resources. They also have weekly meeting that you might find helpful. The chapter in my area has a family support group for various ages, and you can likely find recommendations via local parents who have been there. Here's your chaptr if you're in the DC Area: https://www.namidc.org/support-for-you/support-groups/ |