Good day my friends.
We are two weeks post discharge and I thought that I would post an update about how things are going.
In a word. Stable.
He is stable. No better, no worse. The difference is that we are actively monitoring his medications, whereas before, he was managing his own medications for most of a year, and doing so successfully.
He claims to not remember most of the night when the crisis occurred. I don’t know if this is true or not and really, it doesn’t matter.
Current state.
We still have issues with lies.
We still have issues with hoarding food in the bedroom.
We still have issues with him thinking that his bedroom is a garbage dump. (although he is a teenager and I am told this is normal)
We have locks on everything. Food pantry. Fridge. Laundry room. Main bathroom. Bedrooms. Deep freeze.
It is annoying to have to lock so many doors and appliances, but it also ensures that he has less opportunity to steal things. When he can’t steal there is less chance for lies. Less chance for lies means more success with the truth. And the truth is important.
Accentuate the positive.
We try to highlight the year leading up to the crisis, because David was successful for more than a year at home. Prior to this, he didn’t go 6 weeks without a hospitalization, sometimes have three or four in a two week period. From the time he came home from care in January of 2018 until the crisis of January 2019 was 54 weeks. This is a huge accomplishment for David that should be celebrated. So we try to highlight the positive.
He is on probation for stealing from his school.
Patience of a Saint.
I heard someone this week tell me that David’s mom and I are very patient. 
It’s not patience.
It’s love. We do what we do out of love for our son.
Sometimes, love isn’t enough. When the system of care is broken, one can love their child, and it won’t be enough. Without ongoing appropriate care, I fear that David will end up in prison. Prison is no place to get mental health care.