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11 year old psychotic episode

Alejandra78
Community Member
My 11 year son woke up feeling terrified. He was asking me what was happening to him. As far as I could tell he wasn't in reality. He was saying things like my eyes are my hands. He'd then start jumping, then he put his head to the floor. He was terrified and asking me if I could help him wake up. This lasted about 10 minutes. He spoke about his hands feeling really heavy and about hearing the music from the muted piano. Although he was also aware that there was no music. My partner who was with me at the time said, that it looked like a psychotic episode.

It was as he was clear enough to know he was actually hallucinating. He later said "I felt crazy mum". I have reported this incident to the psychologist and we are going to monitor to see if it happens again. He is on the spectrum (high functioning) and has ADHD.

Has anyone experienced anything like this with a child?? He was experiencing some stress just before the incident. He witnessed an accident and I announced we were moving in with my partner. He also had a slight fever that evening.
3 Replies 3

Aaronsis
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi Alejandra78

Welcome to the forum and I am so glad you have reached out here to get some support on what I can only imagine was terrifying for you and your partner to see your son go through this "episode". I am glad you are here to get some help from this wonderful community and to share how you are feeling.

I am no professional here but I am so very glad you have reached out to a psychologist and to have a conversation and get some help with this.

Something I have experienced with my daughter was night terrors. These happened when she was about 6 years old and went on randomly for a few years. She had some recollection in the morning but sometimes would question why she would be in our bed in the morning and how she got there. She would yell random things and scream for me "get my mum" even though I was right there. It was like she was arguing with someone and she could not get away. I started to make a journal of what had happened that day or what she ate and it really consumed us as we were very scared. I did notice it was when she was too hot in bed it would happen more, when she had long pants on or a long sleeve top style pyjamas.

What worked in the end was when I held her and sang, calmly and sang anything, I could just be saying any old thing but the calm singing and me holding her worked.

She is 13 now and it has not happened in a very long time, we too were at the point of seeking some professional help as we thought something may have happened to her, but they don't happen anymore so we are very grateful.

She still wont wear warm pj's to bed as she does remember some of these times and it does frighten her.

I am not sure of hearing my story has helped Alejandra78 but I hope that you get some resolution for you and your son as this is a very scary time. My thoughts are with you as my strength is too, the lack of sleep doesn't help either.

Huge hugs to you and your family

Sarah xxxx

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!! And I'm so glad to hear that these experiences have passed for your daughter. Hearing that she was affected by heat was particularly helpful because Seth was also feeling quite hot in bed that evening.

Thanks again for reaching out.

And thank you for the huge hugs!!

With love,

Alejandra

Hi Alejandra78

Great to hear back from you and I am glad that some of my experience you could perhaps get some comfort from.

Nothing will replace the opinion though of a professional so I would see how you feel about keeping the appointment, also just keeping and eye on him and seeing how he goes. It might really have been a one off thing, it could be something more.

I am glad that you reached out here Alejandra78 and I would love to know how you get on and how Seth goes too.

Hugs anytime and always here to chat.

Here are some more hugs for you.

Sarah xxx