Cliff Notes that lead to a Snow Storm
Hi there! This being my first entry since joining I am going to give a little background first. But it does lead up to an event that happened 2 days ago that I am still struggling to admit actually took place.
I live in Central Oregon with my boyfriend of almost 7years and our 2 dogs. I do not have any children of my own but boyfriend has 3 boys. I'm not going to disclose their names but I will refer them this way: The 24yo - B, 18yo - D, and the 13yo - E. My relationships with B and E are very close and strong. However, what led me to find this website is my relationship with D. Calling the realtionship with D rocky, doesn't even come close to what we have going on.
D and myself have always butted heads, but aren't always butting heads. When him and I are getting along. I love it. But it seems like there is always something lingering. No matter what, there is always this feeling like he is up to something or planning something bad. Which 95% of the time, he was... Don't jump to quickly to think I just don't like him or anything similar. None of these feelings come without reason.
Maybe some other time I will go further into the story of D. But to save you time right now. Let me give you justt a quick timelime of some events through his teen years....
- 13yo- we find out he is smoking pot and possibly stealing
- 14yo- gets first minor in possession ticket
- 15yo and 4mo before turning 15- gets 2 more MIP tickets and a harassment charge for allegedly pushing his mom. (That charge went away)
- 15.5yo- A law enforcement friend informs us that D has been struggling pretty heavily with behavioral and substance issues at school.
- 15.5yo- law enforement friend calls to say that D was arrested and believed to either be on an unknown substance or having some type of mental health crisis.
- 15.5yo- D is sent to behavioral hospital for 2mo and also placed on probation.
- 16yo- D is diagnosed with earlty onset schizophrenia and possible Opposition Defiant Dissorder
- 17yo- D is released from probation and stops all mental health treatment and medication
- 17.5yo- D is sent back to behavioral hospital for almost 2mo after numerous concerning events. Once released, he immediately stops all care.
D has been 18 for just over a month now. He claims he wants to live in a tent. He makes claims to be smoking crack (doubtful) and his disrespectful behavior has become incredibly worse. To a point I said something to him 2 nights ago I never thought I would.
I have been fighting a really bad double ear infection for the last 2 weeks. My boyfriend nearly took his pinky off in a work accident 3wks ago and is awaiting surgery. 2 nights ago, our area was hit with a really bad snow storm. My boyfriend had left to try and plow the road and I was outside clearing snow, cutting wood, and attempting to knock snow off the tree limbs that sit above our home. D, was inside playing on his phone. I was not thrilled about it and I tried to explain that to him.
D made it very clear that he didn't care that I wasn't supposed to be out in the cold or about his dad's hand and him possibly causing the tendon he nearly cut through to snap by doing what he was out doing alone. I said something along the lines of how he should want to help his dad if he injured or not. He responded with "I didn't come here to work or help you guys. I came here to chill." During this he kept calling me "dude" and "bro/brah". I told him not to call me any of those again. When he was "explaining" to me how if I was a dude this whole interaction would be getting handled so differently, he called me bro again. The cocktail of it all pushed me to my limit. I told him to get out.
Boyfriend came in shortly after we leveled up to screaming. I left the room and boyfriend took over talking to D. At the end of the conversation I hear D tell his dad, "I don't show people respect or respect anybody because I don't like how it makes me feel. It makes me feel weird to do it. So I don't". My heart dropped. It's the first time I have felt truly defeated when it comes to D. And he once told me that my face "looked very punchable" to him.
The feelings I am left with after this last weekend towards D, I feel awful for having. I can't imagine what boyfriend must be feeling. I feel like D and myself are putting boyfriend into a position to chose between us. Not something I would ever intentially do. But I will not be talked to the way D does to us in my home. I will not be forced to live in an uncomfortable state in my home. Is that selfish? Am I wrong? It seems that if we allow it, in a sense, "D wins". It teaches him that it's okay to treat us and other people that way. I wont do it. I can't.
There you have it. My first of hopefully not many entries that are fueled by negative interactions with D. If anyone has anything suggestions to offer, please do so.
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Comments
You and your DH both need to
You and your DH both need to come to terms with the fact that D has serious mental illness. Schizophrenia and ODD, and substance abuse, each alone, are bad enough to potentially tear apart even intact families. Maybe you guys could go to counseling to figure out how to handle him going forward. Potentially, maybe social services could get involved to help with job training and placement, if D is even capable of holding a job, or possibly government disability and Medicaid and housing assistance if he will never be able to support himself. Also, you will absolutely need to protect yourself both mentally and physically from him, as he has already shown a propensity toward violence to women (his mother.) You aren't wrong for not wanting to live with or be around someone with these behaviors. Your SO will have a hard time coming to terms with D's problems but he will have to if he wants to both help him and save your relationship.
Identifying names have been
Identifying names have been removed.
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I'd get him a nice tent and a
I'd get him a nice tent and a sleeping bag, and wish him well.
Yes, I know this sounds harsh and cruel, but he's an adult and you should not have to live with this level of disrespect. It should be a condition of him staying with you that he has a job and is taking his meds/seeing a therapist/psychiatrist. If he's unwilling, then set him free to live his life.
It will likely take him getting arrested again or having a psychiatric crisis before he gets real, sustained help.
But you must promise all of us if he EVER threatens you, you will call the police. You must have documented records of threats or acts of violence.
Yes D has a major mental illness }]]]]]
schizophrenia and possible Opposition Defiant Dissorde. Means he will remember something that he will believe that happened to him. Example, he dreams we won $5000 in a scratch off lottery. Two week later he believes he actually won the money but now can't find it. [schizopherebia]. [ODD]. someone stole the money and he's going to fight that person.
'These people know the medicine stops sexual feelings, they can't be with there GF.
They stop the meds to feel rights, but start other troubles, some reason he didn't want to shovel snow. You have to try other approaches, do you a favor, pay him for it. Promise to make his favorite meal Sunday. Throw him out. You can't have your life revolving around a mentally ill person. My SD was schizo and bipolar I could not deal with her. I had to get up at 5 AM to go to work. I had to sleep. I couldn't have a circus going on at 1 am. Someone had to pay the bills and keep the major medical insurance in place. I could not let this kid drag me to her craziness .
Welcome to steptalk
Im glad you are here and sorry you are here.
Dont feel guilty that you dont like to be treated like cr@p in your own home. And dont feel like you must like this person, especially since he sounds unlikable. Being sick and dealing with your SO' surgery, its a lot to deal with, and then theres him.
I have a mentally ill SD25 Feral Forger, and I doubt that part of her illness is being selfish and unlikable and sucking all the air out of the room. Thats just her core personality. Luckily I dont have contact with her, but the entire time she and I have always just not gotten along, due to her core personality and lack of respect for me and her father and her sister (who doesnt like her either)
He needs to be on his meds if he is to live with you and SO.
Adolescent onset
Adolescent onset schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder; adolescents with schizophrenia-spectrum illnesses are 4-8 times more likely to perpetrate a violent act than general population groups. Since your SS also shows signs of ODD and has engaged in threatening conduct in the past, action must be taken to control his symptoms and to keep yourself safe.
It is mandatory that your SS continue to take his medication and to undergo consistent treatment from a medical professional.
I suggest that you do some reading on the subject of adolescent onset schizophrenia as the more you learn about this disease, the better you will be able to both understand your SSs behaviour and help your DH to make decisions on your best course of action.
There is no cure for schizophrenia. The best that can be hoped for is managing its symptoms to allow the sufferer to live the best life possible.
Thank you everyone for your
Thank you everyone for your input. Feeling validated is going to be very helpful should the time come I need to really put my foot down. I think if D would accept that he is sick and restart his treatment. We would see a huge change. Unfortunately, I know it's not that easy when dealing with schizophrenia. His parents also struggle with staying consistent on rules. (Which is partly why I think D and I butt heads. Because I do my best to keep his dad consistent with rules and punishments) Here's the bad things about where we live and what's going on with D, kids can start making their own medical decisions at 14. So even though inpatient mantal health and drug treatment are decided by the parents. The moment the child is deemed "stable", they can leave. "Stable" does not mean "ready". Now that he is 18. It's even harder to get him help because of one word, "imminent". We have to wait for an event to happen. Even though the longer he is untreated, the less likely he is to respond to treatment and medications. I do want to let you all know that a plan has been put into place should D call wanting to come stay with us again. Everything feels like a dead end with him right now. I still have faith we will get positive progress with him at some point. Thank you again for all of your input.
Ward of the State. NOW!
He is Dx'd and he is an adult. Immediately evict him from your home and call the authorities to deal with him. Once he is made a ward of the State he will no longer have autonomy on his treatment or his life. He maintains or he goes away until he is reset to maintain.
One of my childhood BFFs, my oldest friend, was Dx'd with Schizophrenia in his early 20s. His parents busted their butts to get him treatment, support him, etc... Eventually it was beyond their ability to protect him from himself and society from him. So, the worked with the authorities to have him made a Ward of the State. He is in his early mid 60s, lives in a garage apartment at his parents home, but when he gets out of sorts, #911 and off he goes in the straight jacket in the back of the padded van to be institutionalized until his meds are balanced and he is aligned enough to return home. He is generally not volatile, he does get manic upon occasion, he generally does well when he is alone. Too much time around others or in large crowds in public and he struggles to discern the voices in his head from the voices of others.
The last time I spent time with him was about 5yrs ago when I visited he and his dad. We went to dinner at their go to local small town cafe'. About an hour into to dinner, he got up, went outside, and isolated himself in the parking lot until his dad and I finished our meal. He has had a decent life. He cleans his parent's pool, does their yard, cares for his pet birds. They live in the country to facilitate his quality of life where things are quiet and calm.
Even with all of that, he does get hauled off for re-balancing periodically when he has a challenging period.
You and your DH need to stop sacrificing your own lives, your marriage, your home, your family, and the younger Skids to SS-18's choices and illness. Though he is ill, he is also making choices that he must be held accountable for.
Buh-bye spawn, enjoy the life of a Ward of the State which will protect you, make sure you are treated, and protect society from you. Or, grab your tent, head to the woods, and see how your fantasy of tent living during the winters as a Mountain Man. Hopefully the State can medicate your SS-18 effectively and tune out his toxicity. Even if that happens, be wary and segregate him from your life and family as much as possible. I would.
To facilitate the process, web cams. Everywhere. Cover every square inch of your property and document him to the Nth degree all of the time. Any manic crap, off he goes. Yes, it is more difficult to deal with a syndromed adult, however, there are ways to take much of their life choices out of their own hands.
Ward of the State. It works. My young childhood BFF of more than 50 years is proof as he is alive and approaching his mid 60s where most men Dx'd with schizophrenia don't make it past their early 50s. He is part of his family, he is part of his community. Taking his autonomy has given him a far better and longer life that he would have otherwise have had.
IMHO you and daddy have to put yourselves and the younger SKids first and mitigate the risk that SS-18 s.
Take care of you.