Monday 21^st June

He took his tablet which was a relief, this was the forth in a row. I’m quietly proud he is trying so hard. Today was quiet. He did not have an episode so this is the third consecutive day. I wonder if although he only took a couple of tablets last week, and then had a break for a couple of days, whether it is starting to actually have an effect.

He says the voices are still there, but they are more subdued. We have a busy week ahead as it is also Ethan’s Birthday on Wednesday. I spoke with Steve today and explained what happened on Friday night, but also on the plus side the medication is being taken. He is looking for a bed for Joshua in a unit. The thought of him going somewhere without his family, with a group of strangers nags away at me, I have no idea what to expect. But Steve knows we are all exhausted.

Strange as it may sound, although life has been quiet, I feel as if we are in the calm before the next storm, and that at any minute things will snap and change.

Tuesday 22^nd June

We received a letter from CAMHS outlining the meeting on Tuesday. It seemed very harsh seeing the words on the page detailing Joshua's behaviour and symptoms.

Wednesday 23^rd June

It’s Ethan’s 11^th Birthday. We all get up early so that we can watch him open his presents and cards. Joshua has bought him some lovely clothes and a pair of very bright trainers. Ethan is completley made up with his brother’s choice.

I watch the boys, all smiles and banter, and don’t want this moment of real family life to ever end. Joshua once again takes his tablet, and no episodes, although he is still very tired looking. We all go out for an early dinner with the birthday boy.

Thursday 24^th June

As the calm remains I know the medication is working. It’s a relief. He says his head is much quieter now and seems to be sleeping for longer without interruptions. We spent a quiet evening at home and Joshua came home with his girlfriend. It felt very relaxed in comparison to a week ago. So off we go to bed. Then the phone rings just after 11pm.

It’s the hospital, they have a place for Joshua. At this hour? I’m told by the person in charge that we must bring Joshua straight away which feels really wrong. They have also called Dave and been quite forceful around getting Joshua there.

I ask if it is necessary to bring him now, can this not wait until the morning? He has been taking his medication, and has gone to bed, he is asleep. I was then asked ‘how seriously ill is your son?’ I can’t believe he just said that. Try life in our boots for while.

I explain that yes, he is ill, but he is in bed asleep. I’m informed that they have bought in extra staff for the night duty and Joshua must go, now. The reality kicks in, by this time Ethan is sat up wide awake after hearing the conversation.

I go to call Joshua, tap on his door, and he is there, huddled in his bed, in a complete slumber, and I feel so guilty knowing I have to wake him, and pack him off to the unknown. He wakes quickly, not by me calling him, but I sob at his bedside, my tears fall, I ache inside, it hurts so much.
We hug and he goes off to fetch the suitcase and starts to put things in. His favourite clothes, his toiletries, some money. He is crying too, but grabs me and tells me that he needs to do this. He wants to get better, he wants to change. After all he is going in on voluntary basis so what can happen? The roles are reversed and he is the parent, busying himself, and telling us it will all be ok. What a brave young man.

Dave turned up and steps inside for a minute, he is taking Joshua. I go upstairs to find my two boys on my bed, both crying, and holding each other. Ethan is beside himself and Joshua is trying to console him. Downstairs we say goodbye, I promise we will see him tomorrow, and then he is gone.

Saturday 19^th June

I came downstairs this morning to see the writing pad on the side. Joshua quite often sits with a pad a pencil on an evening and scribbles, doodles and draws. He always loved art, or anything that he could be creative.

As I sip the first coffee of the day I decide to make my list of things to do but get easily distracted as I leaf through the pages, some of the notes make me smile....the odd shopping list that I scribbled, then went to the shops and left behind, phone numbers, reminders, the kids writing. Then some drawings. Three pages of drawings.  Joshua's drawings.

The first is a face which doesn’t look very friendly and quite ugly. An agigtated looking face with a flash of blonde hair - this one is titled ‘Alfie’. The second one is also a face, which again is drawn in a similar way with angry features and red hair -  this one is ‘Donny’. The way in which they are drawn feels very rushed, the pencils have been pushed hard on the page, with some force. On the next page is a circle split into three parts with some handwriting either side, which at first is hard to decipher, and in the middle of the page is a huge question mark. Then the penny drops like a bomb. It’s them. The ones in his head.

There they are, looking at me, staring at me from the page. I feel disgusted by them. I want to be physically sick. After a few seconds I realise that the last drawing is showing what is going on in his head. It’s a bird’s eye view. The three way split he talks of. The words either side now make sense and spell ‘left’ and ‘right’. I slam the pad shut, and throw it in a drawer -  I didn’t want to look at them anymore. They now feel real to me, I now know how they look, the things they say, the things they do. They start to haunt me.

Joshua was tired today, probably after last nights events. His girlfriend visited, I have tried to explain things to her but it is very difficult. They have been together for ten months which is a long time in their eyes. He did take his medication though which was a start. He is eating very little, and looks like he is fading away.  

Sunday 20^th June

Today he is anxious again, very much so, but he did take his tablet. I now understand the term ‘living on a knife edge’. I know any moment he can switch over to the bad guy. Music is my thing, I never really cared for television. I have a song that I listen to every day. Probably fifteen times a day. Both Ethan and I know the words off by heart. It’s called Watercolour, by Pendulum. It makes us think of Joshua. It’s our perception of how he might be feeling. 

To me the lyrics at the beginning paint the picture of Joshua as his calm, rational self, and then the next part is when the terror takes over as the episode unfolds, and near the end it says ‘just stay where you are, let your fears subside, just stay where you are, there’s nothing to hide’ – which makes me think of the moments when I hold him and calm him afterwards.

Here are the lyrics:

When I'm falling down
Will you pick me up again?
When I'm too far gone
Dead in the eyes of my friends

Will you take me out of here?
When I'm staring down the barrel
When I'm blinded by the lights
When I can not see your face
Take me out of of here [x4]

All I believe and all I've known
Are being taken from me back at home
Yeah do your worst, when worlds collide
Let their fear collapse, bring no surprise

Take me out of here

Feed the fire
Break your vision
Throw your fists up
Come on with me
[4x]

Just stay where you are
Let your fear subside
Just stay where you are, there's nothing to hide

Feed the fire
Break your vision
Throw your fists up
Come on with me

It is a very powerful song, very emotional for us. We asked Joshua to listen to it with us. Funnily enough he likes it to. It’s our song.

I called Steve, and explained what had happened, he was very sorry to hear it. My voice shaking down the the phone, just trying to get the words out was hard.

He said that I must not force the medication on Joshua at this stage as he could become even more hostile and volatile towards me. If he gets worse he will physically attack me, we came pretty close already. He must take it of his own free will. He is concerned for our safety, and has asked me to keep in touch. We have quite a lengthly conversation, as I try to understand what’s going on.

He thinks by the nature of the symptoms that Joshua has presented, the things he says and does, that he is a Paranoid Schizophrenic.  He knows we need more help, and is trying his best to source that help. I’m not sure what this means, but he breaks things down and tells me that Joshua will need to go to hospital – a mental health hospital. He deals with things of this nature all the time so I feel we are in safe hands. He also tells me that places are very limited for children of Joshua's age. Services are not funded very much for adolescents, it’s a ‘grey area’ and that is where we sit in the grand scheme of the NHS. There is a local unit consisting of eight beds in our county. But it is a Monday to Friday service which is no good to us. Speaking of which it is the weekend tomorrow and I usually love the Friday feeling, but I am feeling dread, and hoping that we make it through the weekend unscathed.

Friday 18^th June

Life is a constant worry. I’m not used to this tense feeling all the time. I can’t pre empt what’s going to happen with Joshua. Getting up is so hard after a restless night – I want to throw the alarm out of the window. But the six-thirty morning walk with my dog is my tiny window of respite. The boys are both sleeping, as are many of the locals, the streets are quiet, and it gives me time to think and plan, and reflect.

I was on line until late again last night. I’m trying to soak up as much information as possible – and typing ‘paranoid schizophrenia’ into the google search bar gave me pages of information. This whole thing is massive, I am doubting myself as to whether I can cope with this, as well as look after both my children, my house, my dog, and my jobs.

I think it might be time to share things. I know that I can be strong, and I will be. I’m in constant contact with Dave, and have spoken with my best friend, and my parents who are all there for us. But the work life also needs to be looked at as I spend much time there. I’m not expecting or wanting sympathy or empathy, I just need the people I see on a daily basis to know what’s going on. It’s not some dirty secret, something to be ashamed of, I am certain of that - the statistics speak for themselves. I explain to my boss and colleagues at work, and feel instantly supported. My friend who sits next to me starts to cry as she tells me how sorry she is – and I know she is genuine, as are her tears. She understands. I know I can talk to her at work now if I need to.

Joshua again has refused his medication - I'm devastated. I call over to Dave’s house to catch up – we have been supporting each other through this. We may be split, but our kids are the priority here. I’m glad I did go over as in the early evening Joshua came back and has an episode. Once again Mr Questionmark is out.

He goes wild, it is unreal to see him like this. I am starting to see a pattern emerge of the behaviour, the things he does before, during and after, but each time it is getting more severe. At one point he screams something about wanting it to stop and wanting to die. And then he runs, towards the road, with the traffic coming at speed towards him. He is rigid, and is oblivious to the danger. Both myself and Dave yell at him to come away from the road, but he doesn’t hear us, and he moves closer. It’s dangerous. Two more steps and he could be gone, wiped out in a second.

What about the innocent driver who turns the corner to be faced with a person in his path, in the middle of the road with no time to hit the brakes? We are frozen, if we move so will he, in the wrong direction. It is raining, and getting dark. The car lights appear at the sharp corner, then the cars zoom past. Wierdly it feels like slow motion, we are poised waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly he turns and still visibly very angry and marches towards me, waving his arms, shouting and swearing.

I would rather he came for me and be away from the danger of the road. I will him in my mind to come closer, hit me, slap me, anything that brings him away from the cars. He gets close, very close, then he drops, to the ground. Just slumped. It’s over, Mr Questionmark has made his exit.

Dave helps our boy up and we walk across the garden together. We sit outside for sometime in the rain, just talking. As we talk and Joshua sits in silence, I watch and see him slowly coming back to join us in reality. He starts to speak too. He is desperate to get well and says that he will start taking the tablets again, and takes one. We are relieved but also know that he could change his mind at any point.

Wednesday 16^th    June

I stayed up late on the computer last night to have a good look through the effects the tablets may have and what they do. I did read through the leaflet which came in the box, but being a curious creature I wanted to know more. It seems that it may take upto seven days to build up in the brain. There are lots of case studies, family stories, and facts and figures out there about the drug and most make positive reading. It works well for some, others move onto a different drug, but there are many options. Suddenly I don’t feel so alone anymore. I felt a tiny spark of hope.

The medication is called Aripiprazole, an anti psychotic, which sounds very extreme, but in blunt terms it corrects the chemical imbalance in the brain and thus makes the voices go away. Joshua takes his tablet again although he is still withdrawn. I think he is hoping that there will be instant quiet, so I try to explain that it may take a few days to start to work, that we must hang on in there. An article I read last night also stuck in my mind regarding young men and the medication which I keep thinking about.

It said that the trick is to make sure the medication is taken every day. Often young men may take it for a short while, feel they are symptom free when in fact it is the medication which makes them feel that way. They wake up one morning and feel great, then decide not to take it any more. Within a few days the levels drop in their systems and they go back to how they were before. They relapse to their old angry, upset, volatile self. It frequently happens, and then they are often taken to hospital until the medication is back in the system, and things calm down. So I must nag him to make sure he takes it.

Thursday 17^th June

Joshua isn’t working anymore, he just can’t cope. He says his head is really noisy. They keep him awake at night when he needs to sleep. It must be so frustrating. They get louder when he is on his own, it gets unbearable while he does even simple tasks like taking a shower. In the day time it all catches up and he ends up napping, so the sleep pattern has also gone horribly wrong which makes things even worse for him.

He told me the voices goad him to hurt Ethan and me which makes me really uncomfortable. I packed all the sharp things away. I sobbed as I did it as I never thought I would feel so threatened in my own home, but I do, incredibly so. It is affecting us quite deeply already. I worry for Ethan. He has seen and heard so much over the last few weeks but every day he still pulls himself out of bed, gets ready and goes to school. On his return home he religiously does his homework, has his tea, and then goes off on his bike with his friends.

Joshua came home earlier and looked completely dark in his face. I could see he was about to spiral. He got nasty, he refused his tablet as he said they are doing nothing, I couldn’t get him to understand it will take time, he wouldn’t listen, very irrational. He punched the kitchen floor and made his knuckles bleed, he slammed his head several times against the door, then punched himself hard many times in the head. It was with such force, the sound of the thud as it made contact made me feel sick inside. He lunged at me a couple of times, he is much bigger than me at six foot tall, and very strong, and although it may have looked to an outsider like I was standing up to him, being tough even, in fact I was welded to the spot in absolute fear. Scared of him, scared of them.

We went nose to nose, the look in his eyes I will never forget. Wide eyed, but full of hate, real nasty, vile, hate and growling through clenched teeth. And then in a second, as quick as it started, it stopped. He dropped like a dead weight to the floor in the hallway. From a rigid dark, angry form, to a slumped wimpering mess huddled in the corner. He sobbed. His words all jumbled, he apologised as best he could. He explained that me, his mum, make the voices mad, they dislike me, they know what I am doing, and if he listens to me and takes the medication, they will release Mr Questionmark and he will kill me.

Terrified, he is caught between two worlds. Our reality and another which is not real, but to him it is, and it’s taking him over, consuming him rapidly.  The thought that he may hurt me, or worse, has forced him to make the choice to stop his tablets.  I sat with him for some time, and just held him really. I didn’t know what to say to make it all better. There were no words. He is trying to protect me from them.

Tuesday 15^th June

We went to CAMHS today at 3:30pm and met Dr Steve Forrest. He is a tall man, greying, with a friendly face and disposition. He is a psychiatrist. It all felt very surreal though. It reminded me of when you sit in the comfort of your own home all relaxed watching a fly on the wall documentary, and you end up being open mouthed, and shaking your head in disbelief, and think to yourself how some people must struggle. I always end up feeling bad for them, those people on the tv, and often think about it the next day, or speak about it at work.

And now it feels like it’s us - that we are the subject, the camera is focused on us.  Once again Joshua was given the option to go in on his own as some of the stuff discussed would be sensitive. He said that he wanted me to hear it all, and he wanted me with him, that he had nothing to hide.  I’m glad I went in with him – the appointment lasted just over 2 hours.

It felt a bit disjointed at first as Steve had to start up his laptop and was typing notes as we went through the introductions. But after ten minutes or so, it was ok. Joshua explained, very clearly and bravely, his symptoms, as he had done on Sunday at the hospital and in return Steve took everything on board, and asked lots of detailed questions. I was also asked about Joshua's history, going right back to my pregnancy, the birth, development both physical and mental, family, friendships, school, relationships, all up until the present time. It was quite a journey I must admit.

Joshua spoke of his huge regret of smoking cannabis, his secret lifestyle that happened at the weekends to begin with, then as the voices became more prominent he smoked it most days, until he was discovered. He feels that is the reason why he is as he is now.  I wonder if smoking that that made him this way? Is it really that potent to cause this? And why are none of his friends suffering the same symptoms? I’m not so sure but sit and listen as he seems to relax and completely opens up. He tells us that he smokes it to get his head back to himself, just for a few hours, when he smokes it the voices go away, if only for a short while, the voices subside, it goes quiet – respite from it all.

Steve called it ‘self medication’ which seemed a very fitting description. He also speaks about things that I know nothing of. I know he has been involved in the odd scuffle or fight as boys do, and to my knowledge had always told me afterwards. Or so I thought. What he didn’t tell me is that sometimes he just got so angry, over something quite trivial, and would literally lose it, then physically take his frustrations out on someone. Unable to stop hitting, punching, and although the other person would retaliate they were often no match for Joshua and Mr Questionmark.

I can’t begin to imagine how he must feel, to be sharing his mind, his thoughts and his everyday life with this, with them. After making what seemed to be the adult decision to stop smoking it he now has this to deal with. We speak about medication, what it can do to help, and are given a chart showing a breakdown and comparison of the different sorts available, and talked through it, including the possible side effects. Steve explains as best he can what he thinks is going on in Joshua's head, in terms he thinks we might both understand -  mixed messages between brain transmitters and receptors.....auditory hallucinations.....chemical imbalance.

He is prescribed Aripriprizole, 10mg per day and we book another meeting with Steve to see how things are progressing in two weeks time.  If we need advice or help in the interim then we must call CAMHS and leave a message for him and he will get back to us as soon as possible. He also passes me a number which can be called at weekends.

He says I need to ‘proof’ my house. I must have very little medication at home, cleaning agents such as bleach and toilet cleaners must be hidden or thrown away. And knives, scissors, tools, and anything sharp which could be used as a weapon must be put away. He explained that when Joshua has an episode subconciously he will know where everything is at home as it’s all familiar, and he may grab for these things and hurt himself or others with them. He also says that Ethan and myself are at high risk until at least the medication starts to work, which could be a week or more. He has targeted us before and there is every chance he will do it again. I must be vigilant at all times.

We stand to leave, and Steve shakes our hands and wishes us well. I look him straight in the eye and  thank him for his time. I know he sees my pain and desperation. I’m so grateful that we ended up with this guy today.

Joshua says thank you too, and then starts to cry. He tells Steve that he is so happy that someone believes him, that he thought everyone would dismiss him and think he is mad. And Steve filled up too! We stop at the pharmacy and collect the medication. He takes his first one straight away.

 As I listen, I can’t believe he has been dealing with this for so long, alone. At 6pm, after an 8 hour wait the psychiatrist comes. Joshua wants me to go in with him. She seems very young, apologises for keeping us waiting, then asks what happened.  He tells her everything while I sit, watch, listen and hold his hand. All the details come out.

Two voices, either side of his head. They chat amongst themselves, and also to him. They speak in rhyme, or rap, and it’s fast. When they talk to him it’s all rather derogatory, putting him down, and making him feel worthless, useless. He likened it to a conversation overheard in the next room. The door is closed but he can hear them albeit a bit muffled. The two voices are scared of the third ‘being’.

Number three is the important one, he lives in the middle of his head, between the other two, pretty much on the crown of his head as he pointed out. He is the one that completely takes over. He can control Joshua's body movements, actions. He can see himself drinking and stuffing tablets, but he has no control, as if he is removed from his own body, it sounded like a so called out of body experience. So we are told about Number three, or as Joshua now calls him Mr Questionmark. He says that as he feels himself getting more and more anxious and paranoid when the two voices are getting louder and clearer. They take over his head, and invade his thoughts. As this progresses they are not so much behind a door, it’s as if they are behind a sheet of glass. He knows as they get louder, the pane of glass is getting thinner day by day, hour by hour, until it gets paper thin and about to shatter -  then he knows they are about to release Mr Questionmark.

He said it’s like the two voices either side are like zoo keepers. Mr Questionmark is the caged wild animal. The zoo keepers hold the key to open the cage, and when they do, and he is set free, his aim is to hurt and ultimately destroy Joshua, and anyone else in his path who tries to stop him.

 I’m a mixture of being stunned, but also proud that he said this to a complete stranger. The psychiatrist is taking it all in, making notes, and asking many questions. She asks if we have been to our GP. So I tell her that yes we did, some months ago, but was fobbed off with anti depressants. She asks if we have heard of CAMHS. Its the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, and we should have been referred there by the GP.  She starts to put things in place, makes a few calls and assured us we will get help. We should get a call tomorrow. He is shattered and needs to sleep. We went home. This is all very hard to comprehend.

Monday 14^th June

We are all exhausted today. Not so much the physical aspect, but mental I think. Brain is constantly whirring away, thinking about the conversations yesterday. I do feel we turned a corner though, and I’m hoping this is the start of getting things heading in the right direction. I’m sat on my phone all day waiting for CAMHS to call. This is who we should have been referred to several months ago by the GP when Joshua was feeling very down. It’s frustrating to think that much of this may not of happened, or even gone this far if there had been intervention some months ago. I don’t understand why we were not listened to, taken seriously. I think of the very few times that the children have been to the doctors over the years there has always been a valid reason. The hours slowly passed and we heard nothing from CAMHS so Dave started chasing them in the afternoon. Joshua got irritable as the day went on he felt that he laid his feelings bare yesterday which was really a big step, and now they have forgotten him. To be honest I feel the same too. It transpires there has been a paperwork mix up, so everything could be held up. Finally, late in the day we had a call to say that an appointment has been made to see a Dr Steve Forrest the Psychiatrist tomorrow at 3:30pm. Joshua continues to be up and down, he is strained and losing weight, he looks exhausted by it all.

No major upset or episodes of anger today, but I know he is very fragile. I'm scared.

He said he has voices in his head, they have been there for sometime now. That it started roughly 2 years ago. He was with a group of friends at the local park one evening, just a social gathering as kids do, and they all decided to smoke some cannabis. So they did, he did. As he walked home to his Dad’s house that night, probably still under the influence, he thought there were people walking a short distance behind him as he heard them chattering. He turned to look and no one was there. The voices continued to whisper, and after getting home, he realised the voices were in his head. The detail in which he speaks astounded me. He said the voices have names – identities. It’s too much to take in. Too much information all at once.

 As I listen, I can’t believe he has been dealing with this for so long, alone. At 6pm, after an 8 hour wait the psychiatrist comes. Joshua wants me to go in with him. She seems very young, apologises for keeping us waiting, then asks what happened.  He tells her everything while I sit, watch, listen and hold his hand. All the details come out. Two voices, either side of his head. They chat amongst themselves, and also to him. They speak in rhyme, or rap, and it’s fast. When they talk to him it’s all rather derogatory, putting him down, and making him feel worthless, useless. He likened it to a conversation overheard in the next room. The door is closed but he can hear them albeit a bit muffled. The two voices are scared of the third ‘being’.

Number three is the important one, he lives in the middle of his head, between the other two, pretty much on the crown of his head as he pointed out. He is the one that completely takes over. He can control Joshua's body movements, actions. He can see himself drinking and stuffing tablets, but he has no control, as if he is removed from his own body, it sounded like a so called out of body experience. So we are told about Number three, or as Joshua now calls him Mr Questionmark. He says that as he feels himself getting more and more anxious and paranoid when the two voices are getting louder and clearer. They take over his head, and invade his thoughts. As this progresses they are not so much behind a door, it’s as if they are behind a sheet of glass. He knows as they get louder, the pane of glass is getting thinner day by day, hour by hour, until it gets paper thin and about to shatter -  then he knows they are about to release Mr Questionmark. He said it’s like the two voices either side are like zoo keepers. Mr Questionmark is the caged wild animal. The zoo keepers hold the key to open the cage, and when they do, and he is set free, his aim is to hurt and ultimately destroy Joshua, and anyone else in his path who tries to stop him.

 I’m a mixture of being stunned, but also proud that he said this to a complete stranger. The psychiatrist is taking it all in, making notes, and asking many questions. She asks if we have been to our GP. So I tell her that yes we did, some months ago, but was fobbed off with anti depressants. She asks if we have heard of CAMHS. Its the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, and we should have been referred there by the GP.  She starts to put things in place, makes a few calls and assured us we will get help. We should get a call tomorrow. He is shattered and needs to sleep. We went home. This is all very hard to comprehend.