MY WIFE IS PSYCHOTIC. HOW TO HANDLE IT? 

HOW MENTAL HEALTH AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS

If you are thinking “my wife is psychotic how to handle it?” you may be going through a difficult period in your life where you have found out that your wife is living with a mental disorder – this may be a recent diagnosis or a longstanding one. Either way, it is a turning point for your married life especially when you look at finances, child-rearing, and overall the quality of the relationship. 

Relationships, on their own, are a lot of work, and adding a mental health issue as serious as psychosis will affect it, whether you are handling it well or not. The important thing is to brace yourself for the inevitable psychosis break, the mood swings from the medications, and overall be prepared to experience a side of your partner you may not have necessarily fallen in love with but signed up for when you recited “for better for worse” in your marriage vows.  

IDENTIFYING EARLY PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS 

The first step to answering the question “how can I handle my psychotic wife?” is being able to identify the symptoms of psychosis before they become a fully-fledged psychotic break. Because psychosis affects the behavior of a person, you are going to want to pay attention to rapid changes in your wifes behavior. When you notice a worrisome drop or increase in work activity, if they are having difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly, if there is a decline in self care, or if they have strong innapropriate reactions to things or no reaction to big things/events. These are some of the signs of psychosis to look out for and below are ways you can help support your wife once you have noticed and identified these symptoms: 

• BE SUPPORTIVE 

One way to handle your psychotic wife is to be supportive, especially if the diagnosis is new. This is because, mental health is still very much stigmatized and your partner might be feeling embarrassed devastated, or frightened by the diagnosis. When this happens, it is best that you hold their hand through the process, whatever it is that they have to go through – guide them through it and learn with them along the way. Make sure you let her know that you are there for her and your support and love her no matter what. You can show your partner that you support them by building a support system for them or finding them one that already exists. Ask them how they feel and actually listen to what they have to tell you because, in as much as you might know what to expect from them with their diagnosis, you can only know for sure what they are going through by asking questions and listening to them. 

It is also important to commend your wife when you notice that her mood has changed towards being more positive. This lets her know that you see and appreciate her efforts fighting through this disease. 

• UNDERSTAND YOUR WIFE’S PSYCHOSIS 

The one way you can answer the question “how can I handle my psychotic wife?” is by understanding the disease and how it affects your wife. You can do this by reading up on the disease, medications, side effects, support groups, and most importantly listen to her when she talks to you about these things (medication, side effects, therapy, and how being psychotic makes her feel). Understanding your wife’s diagnosis will help equip you with tools on how you can take care of her. 

• GET HER PROFESSIONAL HELP

Handling psycho wife is not something that you should task yourself with doing all by yourself. When it comes to mental health, just as you would physical health, you should always seek professional help. Do not task yourself with becoming their therapist because this will deplete you and become counterproductive in the end because you will be too worn out to be of any help to them. Get your wife to a psychotherapist or a psychologist who can properly help them through their psychosis diagnosis. 

• FIND A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY 

One of the ways you can successfully answer the query “how can I handle my psychotic wife?” is by finding them a support group. This can be a community of people with the same diagnosis as your wife or people close to your wife who would understand the diagnosis and would not isolate her due to her diagnosis. A community of people going through the same thing as you are is important because you find people to whom you can relate and talk about the problems you are facing freely without fear of judgment. 

Just as you find your wife a community, you must also find yourself a group of trusted people who can take care of you when you need them to. You will make a better guardian when you have others watching over you, as well. 

• SET BOUNDARIES 

Proving that you can handle a psychotic wife should not come at the cost of your own mental health. Make sure you set some boundaries between what you are willing to do for your wife and things you would absolutely not do for her when she is psychotic. Boundaries are important because they allow you to live a life outside your wife’s diagnosis without making you negligent or inconsiderate. In as much as you are responsible for showing your partner unconditional love and support, it is also up to them to manage their own symptoms and take control of their diagnosis, and want to get better for you, your family, and most importantly themselves. 

• PRACTICE SELF CARE 

Another great way to go about how to handle your wife’s psychosis is to take care of yourself so you do not succumb to unhealthy coping mechanisms. What does self-care look like? Well, you get to define this on your own terms. It could be something you like doing or something you have been dying to try for a long time. Check out this article on some self-care ideas to help you figure out what your self-care journey could look and feel like. Self-care routines should be ones that rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul. This could range from getting enough sleep, talking to your friends, engaging in activities you enjoy, journaling about your feelings, and relaxing through meditation and mindfulness. Self-care can help you avoid being burnt out which could lead to unpleasantness with your wife and may cause you to find unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drugs. 

• MONITOR THEIR MEDICATION 

Another way to handle your wife’s psychosis is to monitor their medication intake. This is to make sure that they are keeping up with their medication and keep you mindful of the medication’s side effects. Medication is a great way to manage mental health symptoms, however, some medications might make your partner hypersexual while others may have the opposite effect on them and make them lose all sexual interest. Knowing things like this will help you navigate the relationship better so that neither of you feels neglected or misunderstood. Additionally, when you manage your partner’s medication you can easily communicate to their doctors in cases where they are unable to advocate for themselves and this in return will get them the best chance at getting the right medication and treatment for their condition. 

• PREPARE FOR A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE

 Handling psycho wife should include your preparation for an incoming psychotic episode sooner or later. People with psychosis tend to have high highs and low lows – meaning that they will react extremely to things or events by either being way too excited about them or not being excited at all. One way to notice an incoming psychotic episode is to observe the extreme change in behavior, for example, if your wife is suddenly very interested in an activity such as gambling and she starts talking about it more than usual and starts betting on things, especially if she had never expressed interest in this activity before, you may be in the middle or be witnessing the start of a psychotic episode. 

What to do when your wife is psychotic? When you notice that your wife is experiencing a psychotic episode, it is the best time to call her doctors, take her to the hospital, and if you have young children find someone to come and take care of them while you are away at the hospital. You need to have all this information ready all the time because you never know when a psychotic episode is going to hit. 

• DO ACTIVITIES WITH THEM 

One thing that psychologists recommend for people living with mental illness is that they should do activities that they once enjoyed or activities that they enjoy now in their given mental state. This article highlights some of the activities that mentally disabled adults can enjoy, look through it to see if there are any activities that your wife may enjoy. 

Related Articles: How to Not Let depression Ruin Your Relationship 

       How to Explain Anxiety to Your Partner

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How do you deal with a psychotic wife?

This article has discussed at length how to deal with a psychotic wife – you get her professional help, get her on medication if recommended, put her on psychotic watch, and most importantly find her a support group to help her cope with her mental illness. 

• What do you do when your partner is mentally unstable?  

The best thing you can do for your mentally unstable partner is to ask them what you can do for them – if they are in a position where they can communicate with you. This is because you can read all the books and articles online but the only person who truly knows how they can be best helped is your partner so talking to them will give you an insight into what you can do to make them feel better. 

• How do you deal with a delusional wife? 

When you are dealing with a delusional wife, affirmations can go a long way. Let her know that her delusions are valid, tell her they are part of her experience, and then tell her what the general experience is. When you do it this way, it doesn’t come across as dismissive or as if you are trying to gaslight her because you have acknowledged that her experiences are valid. 

CONCLUSION 

In conclusion, this article has discussed 9 ways how to handle your wife when she is experiencing psychotic episodes. There is no right or wrong way to go about taking care of your mentally ill wife, however, there are ways that can make the experience a little less stressful for both you and your wife. It is important to remember that your feelings are valid and acceptable, no matter what they are. Do not beat yourself up about your negative feelings towards the illness or your wife, you are human and you are bound to get frustrated by either your wife or the situation in general. It is okay to feel these things. And for this reason, it is important that you get yourself involved with a community of people who are going through the same thing as you so you can be able to talk about your experiences in a safe environment where you do not risk being judged. 

Remember to take care of yourself, mind, body, and soul, as you take care of your partner. Do not neglect your needs for your partner, and most importantly, set boundaries of what you can and cannot be for your partner – remember this is as much their journey as it is yours.