Hi everyone, thanks for the welcome 🤍
I’m 31 and my partner and I are supporting my 23 year old brother who recently moved here from NZ. We had very different upbringings - I was raised by our grandparents, and he was raised by our mum, who didn’t have the tools to support him properly. He’s had a tough time since he was 14, with trauma, a few concussions in school, and some substance abuse with weed that didn’t help his mental health..
He’s experienced multiple episodes of psychosis over the past few years, and now hears voices daily. The symptoms have become more consistent and intense - things like paranoia, thought broadcasting, belief that people can read or manipulate his thoughts, and really intense auditory hallucinations. From everything we’ve read together, it seems likely this could be schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder. But we understand he needs proper assessment and diagnosis, not assumptions.
He is very self aware, wants help, and is trying. But he also masks extremely well and may not communicate the full severity of what he’s experiencing especially the delusions and voices, which are constant and exhausting.
I’m helping him stabilise day to day with routine, sleep, nutrition, and support. We’re just hoping this GP appointment can lead to a clear mental health care pathway, formal assessment, diagnosis, and the right medication and support, he’s has meds in the past and its helped but he’s in a different head space he knows he’s unwell. He’s motivated but can be worn down by the constant intense voices so I’m helping him as much as possible - we just don’t want him to slip through the cracks again…
any advice on what to say to the GP? The right language to use.
any in person support groups you recommend? Do they exist?
he will eventually need to live in a flat share situation, he has 7-8 weeks with us as we pet sit full time and won’t have accom for him. Any recommendations how to go about this? Any flats shares that would work with someone like my brother.
Thanks again, this space has already helped a lot. I love portrait photography but I work in food photography full time - creativity has been a good outlet for me for years. 🙂 I will get used to these forums. This set up confuses me as it’s new.
@Shaz51 @tyme
@AuntGlow @FloatingFeather
