Aid Wyatt with his Schizoaffective Disorder diagnosis

In November, Wyatt had another episode of psychosis. He experienced both audio and visual hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions. He was hospitalized until he was stable and then released. What we didn’t know then is that Wyatt would be in and out of behavioral hospitals for the next four months.

In December, Wyatt saw his psychiatrist and was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, type depressive. The easiest way to explain what Schizoaffective Disorder is, is that it’s like having Schizophrenia while also having a mood disorder. In Wyatt’s case, he experiences all the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia and also debilitating depression.

Wyatt also experiences severe catatonic symptoms. He has slow responses to questions and will have periods where he struggles to move or speak. In January, Wyatt had a panic attack that led to him immediately fainting. His catatonic symptoms stopped his breathing, and he was unresponsive to external stimuli. I called 911 and was told to start chest compressions. I proceeded to do so for 2 minutes. My mom arrived and took over for me for another minute before help arrived. No one can prepare you for how it feels to have to perform chest compressions on your soulmate. Thankfully, Wyatt was okay. We’re very thankful to the first responders and 911 dispatcher.

At the end of February, Wyatt’s psychiatrist recommended that Wyatt apply for disability. We are now waiting for approval, but that will take 6-8 months.

Wyatt cannot work. He is unable to function independently in a workplace setting. He can’t be left alone for too long. He can’t be in charge of his medication. He struggles with being in public. It scares him because of past hallucinations. He has difficulty with phone calls because he isn’t always sure if it’s a real person or a hallucination. He has difficulties getting out of bed and needs prompting to take care of his basic needs. If he faints, he may stop breathing again.

I hate asking for help. But having some financial support would be one less thing to worry about. If you can help, our family would be so grateful.