What can I do about paranoid delusions and denial?

[bdaddy]

I asked if my my wife was suffering from paranoid schizofrenia about two months ago. I'm quite sure it is still going on. I took her to the ER but she would not voluntarily be commited.  She went to a psychiatrist but didn't continue.  She thought at one time that they were not really Dr's.  She also did not believe the CT scan was real.  She did not think a hurricane was coming the day before it came.  She thought it was all about her being on a TV show called 'Angels Across America'.  She thought I may be filming her with a tiny camera in my eye or possibly hers.  She can't interact with people normally.  She has said that when black or red cars drive by it means that she has just said/did something wrong. She does not know what green/tan cars mean.  There are many other abnormalities. Now, she no longer reveals to me.  She does not meet the homicidal/suicidal/can't-care-for-self criteria.  In fact, she is more organized, lost weight (in a good way), working out, stopped drinking (never excessive before).  But, over-protective of our kids.  Hates me at times-wants a divorce.  Said she can't trust lawyers, doctors, counselors, anyone.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Your wife definetly needs treatment but you are running up against the social and legal barriers that prevent it. Are there other members of her family of origin that might help you convince her to get help?   Have you tried working with the social workers at the psychiatric hospital to see if they have any suggestions, or know about local laws that might help you get her help?  Is she dangerous to your children, and if so, you might be able to convince a judge to commit her for an evaluation.   Tough situation, that's all I can think of to try next.

[Try_to_be_social]

This is really a very difficult situation. In that case it is a good idea for you to learn more about paranoid schizophrenia from all sources, e.g. doctors, psychiatric nurses, mental social workers, psychotherapists, schizophrenia family groups, internet….because they must have experience in handling such condition with refusal of medication. Don’t give up finding ways to bring her to therapy. Don’t confront or reinforce her paranoid ideas because a delusion is by definition not altered by challenge. She is not using denial as her defense mechanism because lack of insight is a significant part of such condition. The rest of her family can learn more to live with her with such problems. Join schizophrenia family groups in order to learn more skills and experience. And one day you will be successful in bringing her to treatment. Don’t give up.

[MaryTurner]

You know as I was reading what you had said I couldnt help but think of one of my friends that was like that.  Has she ever or is doing any kind of drugs (crank, coke, etc.)?  All the semptoms of these drugs are there.  You may think to yourself that you would know if she is or not, but  I know people who have been together for like 10 years and didnt know the other did any drug ever.  It is something that I would definetly look into.  This may not be the reason, but the loseing weight paranioa is the main signs of these drug.

Mary

[MaryTurner]

I also forgot to metion that the delusions are also a symptom of these drugs.  And I forgot to if she has always been like this? Did one day she was just start freaking out?  Or was a build up to the point that she is at now?  

Mary

[Lynxster]

I am having a similiar problem, my wife thinks that all of our neighbors, family (esp. my mother and me) are plotting against her.  She is sure that I have filmed her and taped her phone conversations (I haven't).  She even hired a Private Investigator to come to our house to "debug" it.  I agreed to let him search the house and paid the $300 bucks even though I knew nothing would be found.  And of course, nothing was ever found. Later, she accused me of conspiring with him (even though I had never met him before in my life). She has disassembled our telephone, our clock radio, and she cut the wires to the smoke detector because it supposedly contained a camera.  There seems to be nothing I can say to convince her that there aren't hidden cameras or bugs and that the community is not plotting against her.  Every little remark that someone makes, she seems to think is directed at her.  Anytime I suggest that she discuss this with someone (like a psychologist) she becomes enraged at me.  She also claims the only way I can prove that I am not against her is to confront our neighbors and demand that they hand over the tapes.  I have found that no amount of trying to reason with her will help.  It is very frustrating, I keep hoping it will improve with time; but from what I've read I fear it will not.  Good luck to you and I hope you find a solution.  Lynxster

[sad wife]

MY HUSBAND IS THE SAME AS YOUR WIFE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT HE IS NOT WELL BUT HE DOES TAKE SOME MEDICATION NOT AS THE  DOCTOR SAYS BUT SOME BECAUSE THEY MAKE HIM SLEEP SO HE USES THEM AS SLEEPING TABLETS YOU COULD TRY THAT AS A ALTERNTIVE IF ALL ELSE FAILS  BUT IT IS A LONG ROAD  I AM SORRY TO SAY I HAVE LIVED WITH IT FOR 15 YEARS NOW SOMETIMES IT IS HARD BUT KEEP YOUR CHIN UP YOUR WIFE IS UNDER NEATH  I AM SENDING YOU ALL MY BEST WISHES

[unity]

i no a close freind that went trhough a trumatic marrige and divorce to a dominating religious fanatic.He also devolped this same nature,and begun to focus on the very dark side of spirituallity and formed a lot of dangerous misconceptions.He later went on to suffer dellusions because he belived he sined and god took his hand of protection of him, he belived some pepole where coming to his residence to kill him over a non exsisting event. and he consistantly spiritualise everthing taking every thing as signs from god.he has now realised it was a dellusion but refuses proper help.the problem is that he still holds these dangerous veiws.but is being very careful how he shares his believeths.he also uses these things to dominate pepole.
my question is are these dellusions likely to ocuur again and how do we get him to seek proffesional help.

[sweetchariot666]

I myself am a victim of piranoid delusions. I noticed most of you are writing on behalf of your beloved ones who are suffering from the mental illness. I suffered from the illness for 2 years without realizing what it was but I knew there was something wrong with me. I thought I had been bewitched. I always looked myself in the mirror and saw someone who was not me. I am a young woman(black of african origins)aged 31 married with 3 young girls. I am happily married but it just started off slowly. I started to criticise myself openly in front of people I worked with, I would say I am ugly and have a bad body shape I went on to say that I didn`t like my legs because they were too thin.Why I did that at that time I didn`t know till I realized I was ill but it was too late. So by revealing how I felt about myself everyone started to stare at me all the time I went to work and I thought well now it`s now confirmed that I have thin legs and I am ugly coz people where looking at me not knowing I was the one who brought all the attention. I started to think I was a bad mother I just couldn`t look myself in the mirror. I even started to believe that something fishy was there about my colour(being black)I thought it was not natural, I started to see all people as aliens.I had never felt bad in my skin before but it was now happening.My husband tried to explain there was nothing wrong with me but I became angry and started to cry.I had come to think that everyone watched me and I started to walk in an even funny way attracting a lot of attention from people, but I was not aware of that at that time. I decided to go and visit my GP who without even asking me why I had come to see him told me that I had major deprssion with paranoid delusions, so he told me ther was nothing wrong with me physically and people had nothing  to interfere about with my life except that it was all in my mind. I couldn`t believe it! But fortunately the force of will power came to me and I admitted that I had a mental health problem and was willing to be helped. I was put on medication and i took it for 9 months and stopped without the doctors permission as he had said i would need to take it for a long period.I stopped the med not because I was cured but I knew I was fighting my own mental status so I decided to fight off all the symptomps without med.The good thing now is I don`t give way to all the negetive things even though it`s difficult sometimes but I am managing and I think it`s going to take a long time for me to fully recover but I am able to control myself and I have managed to fit myself again into normal society though no one knows what I go through when I am with them. I think for all the sufferers of paranoid delusions the first think is to be aware that you are ill and know all the symptomps then somehow you will be able to deal with it as well as to be able to face the public and not to look for negetive things when you go out. If anyone would like to contact me or ask me any questions I can be contacted on my emai add:***@****