Gavin suffers from a disorder known as Schizoaffective disorder. This is kind of a blend between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. We see way more schizophrenic symptoms than we do bipolar anymore. Gavin has been in a state of psychosis for many months now and shows no signs of pulling out of it.
The other night, Gavin and I were playing Minecraft together on the Xbox, as we do on most nights before he goes to bed. It’s something he really enjoys and I can use the game to help teach him things that are harder to teach in real life. It’s just become one of our things.
While we were playing the other night, Gavin decided to share what had happened back at base.
When I say back at base, it refers to the other side of the portal that Gavin travels through to get to spend time with his friends. If that sounds like a lot to digest, don’t feel bad because I barely follow it myself.
Below is the conversation we had the other night. It gets a little weird and Gavin is very difficult to understand but by clicking play, you will be able to hear the conversation we had. This is safe for work and little ears. You can hear Minecraft in the background, as well as the other boys fighting upstairs.
This will help to provide you with some insight into raising a child with schizophrenia… You may also better understand why this is so exhausting for me as a parent. Keep in mind that he’s constantly talking to Lizze and I about this stuff. It gets pretty overwhelming.
[audio-clammr mp3=”https://www.theautismdad.com/audio/Gavin 11.20.16.m4a”]
