After many years of mental health problems and large doses of medication, Andreas (26) has lost parts of his language. That is why it is mum Heidi who tells his story to news. The two sit together at home in the living room in front of the computer and have a digital meeting with news’s reporters. Heidi looks at Andreas and asks: For many years you have wanted to tell your story Andreas, haven’t you? Is it okay for mom to tell now? – Yes, replies the 26-year-old. They both want to draw attention to what large amounts of medicine, especially antipsychotics, can potentially lead to. In several cases, news has put the spotlight on the use of antipsychotics in the healthcare system. Use has increased for some patient groups in recent years, and this has, among other things, surprised professionals. The boy Andreas grew up in Drammen in the 2000s. As a child and youth, he was an active soccer player. He had talent, and is described by those closest to him as a kind and caring boy. – Andreas was perhaps a little too kind, says the mother. The first years at primary school were good. But everything changes when he starts the intermediate stage. Then it becomes unbearable. – It was bad. It was Andreas against the wolves. Here is Andreas as a young boy. He has always been a kind and caring person, says mum Heidi. Photo: Private Bullying The bullying was both verbal and physical. The rucksack was filled with gravel and pebbles – the school books were destroyed, he was beaten up. The other children agreed to meet Andreas at the football pitch, but no one turned up. He was tricked, banned and made fun of. Often. In the end, they decide to move, and the boy has to change schools. Things go well there for a year and a half, but on a birthday one of the bullies from the old school shows up. Then it’s done. – The summer Andreas was supposed to start the 10th grade, he didn’t sleep. We had to drive him to school. An environmental therapist had to help us drag him out of the car. We lasted a week, and after that we moved to my home somewhere else in the country, says Heidi. The tenth-graders were able to complete their schooling there. But by then Andreas’ mental state had already weakened. The boy has anxiety and is very afraid. The medicines Now is the time to start. Andreas has been in and out of psychiatry for many years, partly because of the bullying. He is hospitalized at various institutions in several places in the country. And, according to those close to him, he is given a number of different medicines without any particular effect. It is also documented in his journal. He receives various diagnoses during the course of treatment. Some diagnoses have also fallen away. news has obtained an overview of which medications Andreas has been on: Medication use between 2009 – 2022 The list shows the various medications that Andreas has used in the past 12 years: Sobril (Anxiety reliever) Leponex (Antipsychotic) Vallergran (Antihistamine/sleep) Ibux (Painkiller) Seroquel (Antipsychotic) Cipralex (Antidepressant) Zyprexa (Antipsychotic) Haldol (Antipsychotic) Imovane (Sleep) Omeprazole (Treatment of reflux symptoms and stomach pain) Risperdal (Antipsychotic) Divisun (Vitamin D deficiency) Zopiclone (Sleep) Abilify (Antipsychotic) Latuda (Antipsychotic) Peratsin (Antipsychotics) Valium (Antidepressants) Nexium (For acid reflux/vomiting) Zonate (Antihistamine/sleep) Circadin (Melatonin/sleep) Magnesium (For leg cramps) Panodil (For headaches) Apodorm (Sleep) Melatonin (For sleep) Allimemazin (Antihistamine/sleep) The side effects There have been a number of consequences as a result of the experiences and the medication, says the mother. The picture shows a telephone conversation between mum and Andreas. Here he is admitted to a psychiatric institution. Heidi says that at this time it was very difficult to get in touch with Andreas because of the large doses of medicine. Photo: Private – Andreas gained 70 kilos in a short time. He got big swellings in his legs. He started talking to himself – in these conversations he confronted his bullies. He must also have become apathetic. The young man was unable to close his mouth, and it has at times been difficult for relatives to get in touch. Itching, fungus in the throat and speech difficulties are also part of it. Andreas has developed stomach ulcers, he has developed cognitive impairment and at times has great inner turmoil, according to the mother. In addition, both photos and videos show that the young man has struggled to move in a good way. The shoulders are raised and the body is partially bent. He has to lean against the walls when he walks. On a direct question to Andreas about how this has been, he replies as follows: – Difficult! Newly qualified doctor and very skeptical Ragna Tørstad is a psychologist and newly qualified doctor. She has worked for a number of years in mental health. Tørstad says she has reacted to the use of antipsychotics on several occasions. As a medical student and psychologist, she has seen how things take place inside psychiatric treatment facilities, she explains. – I have taken part in consultations where it is decided whether such medicines should be given, and I have seen a number of routines around this. From my understanding, the use does not always correspond to the legislation surrounding these medicines. That’s something I’m puzzled by. In several cases, Tørstad has noticed serious side effects in patients taking antipsychotics – side effects that affect the motor nervous system. Among other things, young adults do not have control over facial muscles. The doctor and the psychologist believe that the use of the strong agents works more like putting out a fire than as something that gets you well. – In the Norwegian electronic medical handbook, the effect of antipsychotics is equated with treatment. One can see just as good an effect of long-term psychotherapy. My impression is that in residential institutions, where coercion is allowed, therapy does not occur to any particular extent. In addition, the young doctor fears for the patients’ legal security. – In the places I have been, patients have also not been informed about the right to choose a treatment option. You yourself can have an idea about which treatment you want for your illness. In all other types of treatment, patients are given information about any side effects, and they can assess whether it is worth it or not. The expert Lars Lien is a senior physician and psychiatrist at Innlandet Hospital. He is also a leader in the Norwegian Psychiatric Association. He is speaking in a general context. When asked whether in Norway too many antipsychotics are used on psychiatric patients, he replies as follows: – When it comes to medication use, I think we are at a perfectly good level. But it is this with the follow-up of patients that is not good enough throughout. But all the overwhelming evidence suggests that it is best for most patients to go on medication. As long as the correct diagnosis has been found, he tells news. The psychiatrist says that several studies show a good effect when using antipsychotics. Among other things in the treatment of schizophrenia. But Lien is quite clear that not everyone has the desired effect of medication, and then other alternatives must be found. – It is found that up to 20 per cent of patients have greater side effects than good effects. It is important that we find and understand these, because then alternative measures are needed. – As a psychiatrist, you take on board the patient’s suffering, and you need to do something. After all, resorting to the prescription pad is always something that will be quite simple, and perhaps something that you have the time and resources for then and there. But of course there could have been other things that are just as good. For example, therapy. Furthermore, he says that psychiatrists can be under great pressure from relatives and environmental staff to alleviate the patients’ suffering. Then in some cases it may happen that there is no space and resources to try out alternatives to drugs. Or trying out drugs over a long enough period of time. – With increasingly shorter hospital stays and increased pressure on discharges, it can sometimes happen that the treatment is not completely optimal. Lars Lien is a qualified doctor, specializing in community medicine and psychiatry. The future In June last year, Heidi chose to bring her son home. No more rounds of psychiatric institutions. With the help of a lawyer, she ended her last stay. She could no longer bear to witness her son’s collapse. During the many years, mum Heidi has felt a great sense of helplessness. She believes herself to have had very little influence on her son’s medication use. Now he has been at home for ten months, and Andreas is a completely different man. Together with professional psychiatrists, they are now reducing the use of medicine. They are taking their time, and the goal is to get the 26-year-old drug-free. But this can quickly take a few years. Andreas and mum Heidi have a close relationship. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Every single day, the two are out for a walk together. Either a walk in the field, or some football on the field. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news For Andreas, life is football. Both in reality and on screen. And he is a very skilled Fifa player. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news From having zero speech when he got home, Andreas has now started to say a few words. Every day they go out to trim. Either on the football field or in the field. How life will be for the young man in the future, one does not know. He is still on Seroquel, and no one knows if he will be able to stop completely. But hope is certainly present. When news asks Andreas what hopes and dreams he has for the future, he answers bluntly: – To play football.
ttn-69
26-year-old believes his life has been ruined by antipsychotic drugs – now trying to become drug-free – news Trøndelag
