brief reactive psychosis
Jim and I brought Evie home from hospital earlier this afternoon. She was admitted for approximately 48 hours, due to a brief episode of psychosis. We feel badly about it, as actions of ours were the direct cause, however she is much improved now, though exhausted and still quite confused.
To explain, there was a family secret which Evie was never privy to. We had agonized for months about telling her, always putting it off because of her physical health and how she might react. However, by the same token, we felt strongly she had the right to know. Additionally, we demand honesty and openness from her, and we were beginning to feel quite the hypocrites, as we were keeping this secret from her. She has reached a point in her PTSD healing process where this information (the secret) will be vital for her continued healing. So, along with Anthony's and Dr. Roerich's helpful advice (thank you so much to the pair of you!), we told her, this past weekend.
Her reaction was not what we were expecting. We were bracing ourselves for rage, extreme anger or a similar outburst. Instead Evie fainted several times, was very confused and disoriented, and after a few hours, disorganized in her speech patterns. From my clinical experience, I suspected she was having a psychotic break, so we took her to hospital, where my suspicions were confirmed. Her diagnosis was a brief reactive psychosis due to extreme stress. She was treated with heavy does of antipsychotics for 2 days, to bring her out of the psychosis. Florid psychosis is dangerous in a person as young as Evie, it can cause permanent brain damage. So bringing her out of it quickly was imperative.
She is herself again now. We brought her home this afternoon, and although quite exhausted and tearful, she seems glad to know the information. I will not share the "secret" here, it is Evie's to share if and when she feels ready. We are simply relieved she is all right after her 2 day ordeal, and are still struggling with some guilt over telling her. However, by all accounts it was for the best. We shall see how Evie responds in the next few days, but we are hopeful things will be well. We look forward to her having a much brighter future, now that she knows this information and can continue with her PTSD healing.
