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My brother had a psychotic breakdown

Discussion in 'Family, Friends, and Relationships' started by drwinchester, Jul 27, 2014.

  1. drwinchester

    drwinchester Guest

    I just heard from my mom that my brother just had what's basically being described as a psychotic breakdown. Paranoia, delusions. He's been acting weird for the last couple months since he started this new diet plan called Isagenix. He's taking diet shakes and meal replacement bars- overdosing on vitamin B apparently- vitamin pills, eating very little. As far as I know, he's never done anything besides alcohol and weed. Hell, I've done weed and I've never gotten as weird and paranoid as he has. He's all delusional and manic. Honestly it was scaring everyone. He's always been eccentric and excitable but never manic and off the handle. He has Aspergers Syndrome...if that affects anything.

    He was taken to the hospital tonight. Received medication, was sent home, and I guess he's starting some kind of 'program'. I'm so fucking scared he's gonna end up in the local mental hospital.

    Some insight would be nice... Anyone know what's wrong with him?
     
  2. turtlemom

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    Im sorry to hear about your brothers breakdown. Im a parent and my son has Aspergers. I do know that someone with Aspergers can have a much worse reaction to doing any kind of drugs and alcohol. Its hard to say what kind of diet pills he took but overdosing on vitamins or anything is not good. Plus not eating properly can take its toll on a person. So all of this combined makes a pretty bad cocktail indeed. Theres concern as to why he even started doing weed and drinking, then the "diet" and even over doing it on the diet pills. The drugs and alcohol are just a symptom to his problems. How old is your brother? There's a lot going on with your brother, my guess is, he isnt getting proper support that he really needs as a person with Aspergers. Im assuming he started a diet because he is over weight? I would like to know how old he is though.
     
  3. drwinchester

    drwinchester Guest

    Hey, thanks Turtlemom.

    My brother's 22 and yeah, he was a little overweight. But I'm pretty chubby too. He actually lost a significant amount of weight, over 20 pounds in just a few weeks (diet plan and all).

    Some of it I'm thinking has to do with the fact my dad died back in November. I feel like ever since Dad died, he's been pretty directionless, despite grief counseling and all that jazz.

    My mom is worried he could be developing schizophrenia... I'm not there right now, as a matter of fact I'm spending the week a state away with my boyfriend, but I'm getting updates from family.
     
  4. Mogget

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    Psychosis can be a symptom of a variety of different problems, both mental and physical. I don't remember whether Vitamin B overdoses can induce psychosis, but it's possible. In any case, psychosis is treatable with medication, therapy, or a mix of both. Psychosis is not a symptom of autism spectrum disorder, but ASD is often comorbid with other mental illness that can manifest psychosis (e.g. bipolar I disorder).

    Psychosis has a much heavier stigma than other mental illnesses, but it's undeserved. Psychosis does not make someone more likely to be a danger to other people, nor does it prevent most people who experience it from participating fully in society.
     
  5. turtlemom

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    Im so sorry for the loss of your dad. Ok, so there are many things going on to contribute to his breakdown. I have a friend and her 22 yr old son has schizophrenia. It is common for the symptoms to show up more in late teens to 20 or so. Most people are not going to have paranoia to the point of breakdown and being hospitalized from what you described. Its hard to say though just going by the little that I know. I do know that a person can have AS and schizophrenia and if fact a person with schizophrenia can share some of the symptoms of a person with AS but that doesnt mean they meet the criteria for AS for a diagnosis its just commmon that they share some of the symptoms. My friends son exhibits AS traits and my friend thinks he may have AS as well but I dont think so, but then Im not a Dr either. Im just a parent that has a son with AS. I do know that my friends son didnt start showing a lot of paranoia until around age 20 but I think it was before then. He can go weeks without much of an episode. He believes in aliens, the FBI is spying on us, sometimes he thinks the FBI is sitting in a parked car on their street. sometimes he makes comments about FBI tapping our phones, he's very jealous of people, he spies out the windows all the time. One time he and his mother drove an hour to another city to a car dealer place. He got paranoid and thought they were lying and trying to trick them so on their drive home he kept looking in the rear view mirror thinking the sales person was following him. The list goes on and on. Let's hope the Dr's can figure all of this out. I suggest that you read up on symptoms of schizophrenia just so you have some basic knowledge of it.