Daughter having trouble for years with voices inside her head

Thanks for your post @searchingforanswers. This must be very frightening for both your daughter and yourself. We certainly feel for your situation. It must be so difficult to see a very successful daughter struggling so much with mental health issues. We at Mayo Connect want to welcome you and look forward to getting to know you better. You mention that she has been in and out of the hospital. Has she been given a diagnosis during those hospitalizations? If so, what kind of treatment was suggested? Has your daughter been compliant (followed) the treatment plan? You also say you are looking for a place where a "study could be done on her." If you are comfortable doing so, please let us know what state you live in. All of these details may help others in our Mayo Connect Community offer helpful suggestions and comments. Best wishes to you and once again welcome to Mayo Connect.

Hello @seachingforanswers. I know from personal experience this is a scary time. Our son was diagnosed with a mental illness at age 13 and spent over a year in a hospital under doctors care. They finally gave up on him and said he would probably be hospitalized for the rest of his life. We took him to a state hospital which had a program for kids and adults with similar diagnosis. Our first meeting with the staff went from feeling hopeless to having some hope. They shared that their goal was to give the patients a means to cope with their illness and live a productive life. Six months later we had our son back and it was the beginning of a new life for him and us. It hasn't been easy and there have been a lot of rocky times but there is some good news. Diagnosis, treatments and understanding of mental illness has come a long ways in the past 30+ years since our son was diagnosed.

If you haven't found a support group yet I would highly recommend locating one in your local area and see if they hold meetings. A local group would be a great resource for you. We found a local support group through National Alliance for Mental Illness - https://www.nami.org/Find-Support. It helped us a lot during the early years with our son when things were pretty bleak. Mayo Clinic has some good information on coping and support here - http://mayocl.in/2k3nMel. If you would like to seek help from Mayo Clinic, please call one of our appointment offices. The contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Don't give up hope! God Bless,

John

@searchingforanswers - another hurdle people have to overcome is the stigma sometimes associated with mental illness. Mayo Clinic offers some suggestions/steps to cope with the stigma associated with mental illness - http://mayocl.in/1fnLWWb.

John

@searchingforanswers I agree with @johnbishop, look for a NAMI support group in your area. They work hard to erase the stigma of mental illness and provide support for those with mental illness as well as for their family. They often have educational meetings as well where you can learn about the latest treatments for mental illness. Best wishes to you and your daughter.

Good morning to you. I am a social worker in California. I have worked with young people with symptoms like your daughter's. Of course, schizophrenia and bipolar are "labels" (okay, diagnoses) that might (or perhaps have been) be applied to her, but I am wondering if they have checked her hormone levels for abnormalities as well or if symptoms worsen at cylic times of the month? If all physical avenues have been explored, then I am curious: Does she live with you or alone? Is she still hearing voices? If yes, what do the voices tell her? On another note, is she a religious or spiritual person? If yes, there may be yet another explanation and avenue of reaching her. I wish you the best finding help for her. <br>

@wendybarker Thank you for bringing the medical/physical problems into the discussion! Very important.

Hello, i am so sorry for you and your daughter's struggles. My daughter was first hospitalized at age 7, (1993) hearing voices with ocd issues manifested by internal battles. She was dx with multiple additional diseases and on a full cocktail of meds, hospitalized 9 x by age 15. It was only on the 8th time that i learned they weren't evaluating her at all! Just fixing her meds to get her stable again! I was shocked. (And now so sorry about letting them give her all those meds.) Anyway, she was lucky enough to receive a state grant for residential treatment that they were able to help her tremendously! Its been a while since i looked but there are specialty short term residential programs which offer full assessment and tx plans, also some day grams.. Not sure they take insurance. You don't mention her dx or what city/ state you live in? Nami is an excellent place to start. And for hope for all you parents out.there, my daughter is 30, graduated with two degrees, and holds a full time job in a government agency! She also has 3 kids and is a good mom. She has learned to manage her ocd without meds. I was asking her just last week and she shared that its always a bit present and occasionally becomes a real challenge to her. Sadly, her 7 y.o. is now manifesting the same issues.
Please feel free to reach out for more support! It is such a troubling problem and as others said, with the stigma and sheer ignorance, we often cant even turn to our own families for a shoulder or vent session. Hang in there!!
Cathy

@cathy615 Thank you for that great personal story. You have offered some valuable ideas and encouragement to @searchingforanswers

@searchingforanswers It's been awhile since we have heard from you. How are you and your daughter doing? I hope that some of the posts from our members has been helpful to you. Check in with us as you are able and let us know how everything is going. Best wishes! Teresa

@searchingforanswers I hope that you and your daughter are doing well. Please check in with us and let us know how you are doing. Teresa