Therapy for someone who is treatment resistant

[maeve]

My son is 34 and has been in a bad state for the last 20 years.  He has been to every private hospital in Brisbane and surrounds and he always leaves worse than when he arrived.  Every psychiatrist he has seen has diagnosed him with a different 'disorder', the latest being a personality disorder.  They then say they can't treat him but never recommend who can or what can.  Their response is most times, 'I don't know what you can do'.  Because nothing works, he has taken himself off all meds and refuses to go to any form of therapy as he wishes to punish the doctors for 'abandoning him'; this only punishes him and his family.  The result is, a huge ball of rage that wishes death and destruction to the world.   His solution is to start smoking pot again, which I think may be partially the cause for the way he is now.  Who knows?

I feel he needs to go to some sort of rehab place to get counselling on a regular basis, not a private hospital.  All the ones I google are retreats, not rehab and they cost extraordinary amounts of money.  Does anyone know of somewhere that could help, even overseas, to get my son back on track and discover a life for himself?

[Jacko777]

Hi Maeve,

I am glad you have posted, i am not sure what the answer is, others here will have advice and support. You could ring the BB phone service for some advice also, they will be aware of what options are available in your area.

I definitely think you are right, your son needs regular counseling, he can 'punish' his doctors by recovering without drugs or being diagnosed with a disorder. A good psychologist or counselor will help him to develop a mental health strategy that he can activate, taking small steps each day towards recovery.

Do you think an event 20 years ago instigated his 'bad state'? I had a dramatic life event around 14yo and my mental health went largely unchecked until in my 30's when I got so low that I went and got help, prompted by my lovely partner. My negative thinking had developed subconsciously into fears, phobias and depression and I would never have worked it out myself without professional help.

Please consider giving BB a call, they can help you with this, keep us posted.

Jack

[geoff]

dear Maeve, and would like to welcome you to this site'

It sort of outstands me that even the psychiatrists can't give a diagnosis on what your son has, as normally they produce some long complicated name that nobody would possibly ever understand.

I presume that they knew that he had smoked pot because the effect from this can vary from person to person.

What worries me is that he 'wants to punish the doctor's', and this could just be by not going to them, but can I suggest that you click onto 'Get Support' at the top of this page and try and find a doctor who deals with his disorder, as they are aligned with BB and specifically deal with mental illness. Geoff.

[maeve]

Thank you Jack,

I think it's been a continuation of 'somethings' his entire life.  He just figures now whatever he tries will fail, so not trying anymore is the answer for him. Everything seems just so hard.

I will give BB a call, maybe I can get him to call them.  😕

thanks again

Heather

[maeve]

Thanks Geoff

 Yeh, all the psychs know of his pot smoking.  It seems, often times, they jump on that pretty quickly.  He smoked pot therefore that's the reason he is like he is.  Let's not bother finding out anything else.  Happens too often.

 I will look into what you suggested, though, thank you.

Maeve