(July 29, 2015) My son is a paranoid schizophrenic. His mother, sister, and I slowly watched a popular, happy, academically successful and extroverted teen turn into an individual who’s completely separated from reality, utterly delusional, suffering auditory and visual hallucinations, and wracked by paralyzing fear and suicidal depression.
When my son could no longer hide his delusions and had his first complete psychotic break, we took him to the Hillsborough County Mental Health Center. There, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and given medication for anxiety. Yes, read that again: anxiety.
Three months later my beautiful son was nothing more than a calm schizophrenic trapped in a nightmarish hell within his own mind. He saw only one way out: suicide. When he spoke openly of this to a teacher at school, we decided to take him back to the hospital, but we knew the last one was unsatisfactory and of no use.
His mother discovered St. Joe’s in Tampa has a pediatric wing for mental health. He was admitted and given a sleep aid, a different anxiety medication, an antidepressant, and finally an antipsychotic. This cocktail of medication, along with counseling, slowly — very slowly — brought my son back to life.
But why did we have to go through this? Why couldn’t the first hospital help my son? HCMH works under rules governed by the federal government. St. Joe’s, a private hospital, does not. But what if I told you there is a bill in Congress to address the many failings of the current approach of the federal government to mental health?
The name of the bill is Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis. Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania is the author, and it is a comprehensive overhaul of current law. This landmark, society-changing piece of legislation will give much-needed help to individuals trapped in the hell of their own minds...
WAYNE HILTON
TAMPA, FLORIDA
(Photo: Adltya Doshl/Flickr)
To comment, visit our Facebook page.
Visit our blog archive to read all our recent posts.