[rhz10]

My girlfriend is experiencing psychosis now. See
https://forums.psychcentral.com/schi...hing-else.html

I can't help but wonder about the cause. The prime suspect seemed to be Adderall (which was at a fairly low dose), but it may be something entirely different.

Perhaps this is too much playing Freud, but it was revealed to her in therapy that her and her mother have enmeshment issues, a kind of co-dependence.

My girlfriend, who is an only child, says that her mother gave birth to a companion, to her best friend, not to a daughter. The father was removed from the picture completely by the mother right at the beginning. (She doesn't know her father.)

The mother had a (second) psychotic break when my girlfriend left for colleg as a teenager Now, she's 36. It was theorized in recent therapy that the mother couldn't bear losing her best friend, so she entered a psychosis, which resulted in my girlfriend quitting college and returning home to tend to the mother. After a year, the psychosis lifted, and my girlfriend eventually moved away after a few more years of living with her mother.

My girlfriend has ADHD and has been chronically unemployed. The mother has and continues to completely pays all her daughter's expenses. This arrangement has been going on essentially for her entire life.

Fast forward to our relationship, 2.5 years old. The lack of a job really bothered me. Several attempts were made by her to studying something that may lead to a career. They all failed. ADHD coaches were hired to no avail. Psychiatrists tweaked her Adderall. Nothing worked.

I was so frustrated by the broken promises that I set a deadline for her to at least get a part-time job. The deadline passed. I began talking about us needing to split. She would react with alot of emotion, saying OK, she just wants me to be happy and she'll go live under a bridge, or buy a bus ticket somewhere etc. This went on for a while and then I told her that we need to start to have a real discussion of what would happen, how we would disengage if she couldn't at least get some part-time job. She knew I was serious. That's when her psychosis started. It's so reminiscent of what the mother did (perhaps subconsciously) to her: Don't leave me. I need you. I've lost my mind. You need to care for me.

It's only a theory. I'm no expert, and all this could be totally bogus. Do people develop psychoses for reasons like this?

[Sometimes psychotic]

Honestly it's hard to fake psychosis...usually it's initially related to a stressor....in this case being pushed to work may have been that stressor. There is also a 1:8 chance for it to happen to if one parent has it....usually starts mid to late twenties in women. If she has schizophrenia and not ADHD it could explain a lot too of why ADHD coaching didn't help. The learning difficulties can be similar.

[rhz10]

No, I certainly don't think she' faking it. It's more that the stress of losing the relationship may have brought it on. Of course, now, if she brings up the topic of a job (which happens rarely), I tell her not to worry about it. I think that's an obvious relief for her.

Last week, when I came home she was in the shower and was talking to herself in a peculiar way, going on about how she didn't like the pressure I had been putting on her about the job, how jobs can suck, how people give her money--her mother and me (by virtue of her living in my apartment and me paying her health insurance), and how she senses an element of contempt when I talk to her about "it" (a job I guess). So, the whole issue is obviously on her mind.

In any case, as indicated in the previous thread, treatment is not on the immediate horizon.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by rhz10

No, I certainly don't think she' faking it. It's more that the stress of losing the relationship may have brought it on. Of course, now, if she brings up the topic of a job (which happens rarely), I tell her not to worry about it. I think that's an obvious relief for her.

Last week, when I came home she was in the shower and was talking to herself in a peculiar way, going on about how she didn't like the pressure I had been putting on her about the job, how jobs can suck, how people give her money--her mother and me (by virtue of her living in my apartment and me paying her health insurance), and how she senses an element of contempt when I talk to her about "it" (a job I guess). So, the whole issue is obviously on her mind.

In any case, as indicated in the previous thread, treatment is not on the immediate horizon.

I see----is there some reason the initial pdoc hasn't prescribed meds? Honestly I'd contact him again and let him know its not resolving----its a totally dicey situation but then it almost always is. If the whole thing gets too overwhelming for you, you're going to have to get her mom involved even if she doesn't like it. This could be a long term situation. The other resource for you are the caretakers of other people with mental illness who have been through this before....look into NAMI.

[rhz10]

She has essentially "ex"ed the shrink. In any case, she wouldn't take any drugs, because she does not believe that there is a psychiatric problem.

I have contacted NAMI and should have a call with them soon.

Involving the mother is problematic for multiple reasons. Aside from her fragile emotional state, she lives far away, and would likely contact my girlfriend immediately, which would cause her to leave, because I went behind her back. It could give rise to an unsafe situation for my girlfriend and, potentially, for the mother.

Thanks.