Schizophrenia, Controlling Husband, and Ozone Therapy

Reader’s Question

Our daughter was recently diagnosed and hospitalized for a diagnosis of Schizophrenia. We have very little first-hand knowlegde as our son-in-law has distanced our relationship. We recently heard that she attempted suicide and it was very nearly successful. Our dauhter is 33 and has two young boys. She is educated. She resides in a distant state. We have not been permitted to talk to her since last Fall. Her husband is contolling and will not allow us to be part of her recovery. We have heard that her doctors keep her heavily sedated. Now her husband has taken her off prescribed medications and is seeking nontraditional therapy. What can you tell us about ozone therapy? We are very worried about her. All info we receive is via e-mail from our daughter’s mother-in-law. Is there any hope for her with this chosen regimen?

– Regards in New York

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Ozone therapy is an “alternative” therapy that is not recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association, or insurance carriers. Schizophrenia is a very serious psychiatric illness associated with changes in brain neurochemistry. Ozone Therapy has not been proved effective for psychosis and is far below the standard of care for the treatment of Schizophrenia. For this reason, any state-licensed psychiatrist using Ozone Therapy for the treatment of Schizophrenia would be subject to legal action by their licensing board. In fact, psychiatrists treating your daughter would be required to withdraw from her case due to the risk associated with the addition of unapproved and unproven alternative treatments.

This situation is present in other professions as well. If you decide to build a house yourself and elect to use cardboard for the walls and unshielded electrical cables — no licensed contractor could work on the project, no insurance company could or would insure it, no city home inspector could approve it, and child protective agencies would remove your children due to their presence in a substandard dwelling. The idea of acceptable and unacceptable procedures and methods is present in all professions.

Your controlling son-in-law will be a major obstacle to your daughter’s recovery. Controlling individuals, typically known as Personality Disorders in psychiatry, are very grandiose and feel they have the knowledge, ability, and entitlement to control the lives of those around them. His decision to select alternative therapies is most likely an attempt to maintain his control over your daughter’s treatment and recovery. Because licensed professionals must use evidence and research-based treatments and procedures, they would be difficult for your son-in-law to control.

I’d recommend maintaining close contact with the mother-in-law regarding the situation. If your daughter has experienced a schizophrenic episode, alternative, nontraditional, and substandard treatment will be ineffective. This may cause your daughter’s symptoms to increase. I would then predict that your son-in-law will blame the lack of progress on your daughter (Personality Disorders never accept personal responsibility for their failures!) and make an effort to send her home. Her symptoms will become unmanageable. In anticipation of this possibility:

• In contacts with the mother-in-law, hint that your daughter can return home for treatment or for a break or rest. The “any way we can be of help” approach.
• Develop a “rescue plan” for that call in the middle of the night that she needs to come home. That plan may include saved money for emergency airline tickets, knowledge of psychiatric treatment resources in your community, and prearranged additional support in the community.
• If you can contact your daughter and her family — send regular get well cards. Use the procedures I’ve outlined in my article entitled Love and Stockholm Syndrome. The strategy of “Hold on Loosely” applies in this situation — monitoring your daughter from a safe and nonthreatening distance.
• Personality Disorders want control — not responsibility. If your daughter’s symptoms increase, you may be on the receiving end of your daughter and the children.

This will be a very difficult situation for your family, made more difficult by the distances involved. You may need to seek counseling and other types of advice (medical, legal, etc.) in your community as this continues.