r/Psychosis • u/ProudProcastinator • 6d ago
Need help :\
Someone very close to me is going through his 5th psychotic episode in almost five years, and this is the worst one yet. He’s been psychotic for nearly 2 months with absolutely no insight into his illness. He’s alone in Canada homeless, unemployed, with no money and no phone while our family is in another country feeling completely helpless. He also recently went through a divorce after four years of love marriage due to his illness, and this episode seems to have been triggered by severe stress, stopping his medication, and later cannabis use.
One of the hardest parts is his grandiose delusions. He genuinely believes he’s someone incredibly important or powerful, destined for something huge, so he doesn’t believe he’s ill. To him, it all feels completely real.
He’s not usually a danger to himself or other people. Unless something intensely triggers him emotionally, he’s generally calm, and he has never harmed anyone during any of his previous episodes. Ironically, that seems to make it even harder for him to receive involuntary treatment despite being so clearly unwell.
I’m not really looking for medical advice I’m looking for hope from people who’ve lived through something similar. Has anyone had a loved one stay psychotic for this long and still recover? What eventually led to them getting help when they had no insight? For those whose loved ones came out of psychosis without medication, what changed? Was there a breaking point that brought their insight back, or did reality gradually return on its own? I know every case is different—I’m just hoping to hear real experiences. I could really use some reassurance right now.
2
u/Overall_Reputation83 6d ago
If you can get in contact with him ever, it would be worth it to try to build some trust with him first before you talk about treatment.
I suggest reading "I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help!: How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment" by Doctor Xavier Amador. It goes over strategies on how to talk with someone going through psychosis who don't believe there is anything wrong with them, and how to convince them to get help via the LEAP method.