I was looking for a forum and a place that could offer their own experiences and see what kind of help that they got. But, after reading what posts were left here, I feel compelled to tell my story.
My 14 year old god daughter we knew was smoking pot. Her behavior over time just got worse. She began skipping school, not coming home and at times in a mania state. Either she was really pissed or happy. And at first it wasn't written off but trying to understand is this just teenage angst.
My friend tried to get the police involved when she would leave home. But, they were no help. She was told " if she doesn't break the law, we cannot do anything", she was truant and the school did nothing. Finally she got herself into some legal trouble and it resulted into her going to teen court and only having to do community service.
Her parents tried to place into a " troubled teen " facility but they are all voluntary. And knowing she would run, what would be the point? If she ran, they take her back, if she runs again, they can't hold her there.
What 14 year old wants help, when they don't think they need it?
Two weeks ago she was gone for a few hours and came home messed up. Her mom knew something was way off and realized she was tripping or she seemed to be. Her pupils were blown up and she was acting afraid. She asked her if she was tripping on acid and her reply was " yes I took two hits of acid ".
They stayed with her and hoped they could help her out of it. She was asking if they were in hell, accused her step-father of being the devil and the following day she was no better. She became confused and paranoid. Throwing all of the food away believing it was all poisoned. Walking in and out of the front door like she was really going somewhere. They took her to the E.R. and she ran, so they baker acted her. Gave her some ativan and she just got worse and worse. With only moments of lucidity in between the obvious psychosis. She didn't understand anything and would cry and ask what was happening? Why were we doing this? Close her eyes and cover her ears. Deny that she took any acid that he mom had told her she had taken it. She admitted only to me that she had smoked a great deal of pot that night when she came home freaked out.
It was pure craziness and terrifying.
They took her to a behavioral hospital for troubled teens.
They put her on the anti-psychotic drug seroquel. She never confessed anything, still having delusions of being poisoned, covering her ears and closing her eyes and then she would have moments of being lucid, although you knew she was not 100%.
The doctor told her parents that she was in a drug induced psychosis and that it was more than likely the pot that she has been on. Acid gets through the system very quickly but that weed does not metabolize and it can take weeks. She refused her meds. She refused to eat or drink anything and became dehydrated.
She was obsessed with a bible that had been given to her. And you know what? 10 days later, even with her being non-compliant they discharged her. Her parents not knowing what to do next.
With 8 hours she tried to kill herself. Her father was able to help her and make her take the medicine. Within an hour he said she was okay. The next day, they went to a scheduled therapy appt. She communicated well with the doctor and had a follow up with a psychiatrist a few weeks later.
She didn't want to be in public but still held conversation with her mother. All of the sudden she wanted her bible and claimed to hear voices and within an instant she jumped out of the truck.
Police were called, family members to hunt for her. Not one time in the four hours that she was missing did one police officer get out of his car and check peoples backyards. They just drove around the streets. Her dad checked every friends house, the mom and grandfather checked peoples yards.
4 hours later the E.R. called and she had been brought in by ambulance. Found by a construction worker that was roofing a house down by the beach. It was 43 degrees outside and dark. She was lying in the fetal position, purple and barely breathing. He said that he had seen her in the water for what he thought had been an hour or more. She was dying on that beach. Thank god he found her.
Back to the E.R. back to being baker acted. Had to wait for an ambulance transfer at 7 in the morning and it is only 6:30 at night. So twelve hours.
After they warmed her up, she ate, she talked a little and then went quiet. She seemed okay but gave no reason as to why she was had been on the beach.
She actually said she went for a jog but never got into the water.
Four hours later, she went from being quiet and sort of resting to a sitting up and grunting and covering her ears and closing her eyes.
And I could take you through the next 8 hours in it's entirety but I won't. I will give you the summary. She closes her eyes because she is seeing things. She covers her ears because the devil is talking to her plus she can hear us saying things even though we are not. They give her an ativan and a seroquel and she has one hour of barely lucid and she wants to know where she is and she asks for herself by name.
And from that point she lets me know that the devil talks to her. He tells her things and that he told her he needed to use her soul to get into heaven and that if she went to the water and got in, he could switch sould with her. But that once she did it, she had to kill herself. She thoughts souls were floating around and were trying to get into her mouth so she kept it covered.
I finally begged them to give her something so they have her haldol. It took 8 ppl to hold down a 5'4 100 pound girl to give it to her and she actually managed to break the first syringe.
Still drug induced psychosis? Two weeks later?
She is taken to a different facility. They change her medicine to respiradal. She is lathargic, not eating, not drinking but she says she feels safe and happy there. She did not feel safe at the other place she was in for 10 days. This is day 3 ( today ) and the doctor calls the parents and says " she told me that she took acid 2 hours before she went down to the beach " father explain that " no it was two weeks ago, she has been supervised the entire time" the doctor says " it's impossible for her to have taken it two weeks ago and have a psychotic episode, she says she took it two hours before." The father argues because who is this guy to believe a sick child over the parents and guess what? They are keeping her for the weekend and letting her go.
So now what?
From research we know that drug induced psychosis is real but we also know that if a person has a predisposition for schizophrenia, using drugs can make the illness come to the surface.
So, why can't they keep her and medicate her for 30 days to see if she gets better and then wean her off of the drug and then give her some assesments to see? Instead tossing her back out?
Sure she is fine now. But she isn't. Is she having delusions and all of the paranoia and etc.? Nope but she feels safe and she is doped up. So, what happens when they let her out and she refuses to take the medicine? Relapses? Where is the help when you need it?
She is very sick. It is like watching a child be possessed by the devil.
So now they have until Monday to try and find a way to have her commited. But where? To that place? Where the doctor doesn't believe the parents or back to the other place where the doctor let her go even though she was clearly ill and not taking her medicince?
