My daughter told the psychiatrist that she doesn't WANT to be on the medicine because having to take medicine for a problem with her brain makes her think that something's wrong with her. Every time she takes the medicine, she's reminded that her brain is messed up.

The psychiatrist told her that many people who have to take medicine for psychiatric reasons feel that way. But that it truly is no different than having a medical illness and needing to take medicine for that. She and I told my daughter that it is simply a chemical imbalance in her brain and that the medicine balances out the chemicals. The psychiatrist showed her pictures online of a healthy brain and a chemically imbalanced brain. My daughter said she knows she needs to take the medicine, but that it just makes her have to acknowledge every day, twice per day that she has a problem.

In essence, she just wants to be 'normal' and not have any reason to have to take medicine every day of her life for the rest of her life starting at age 17. I understand how she feels, but it is what it is and she simply has to accept it.


Laundrymom,

Thank you. Yes, I do deserve to be treated with respect and love and it hurts me deeply when she mistreats me. I know it's due to a medical reason (chemical imbalance in the brain), but the way she treats me sometimes is truly heartbreaking.

I also am literally scared to death of her moving off to college out of fear of her not taking her medicine. I keep trying to drill it into her head that she HAS to take her medicine and that she should not rely on ME to tell her when to take it. I often tell her that she needs to be practicing now to get herself in the habit of taking it herself so it will be just a natural part of her routine by the time she goes off to college. But obviously she's not doing well at taking it on her own at all.

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