drainedwife

my husband has a sever substance abuse problem,. and there has been domestic violence as well.. i have FM restraints right now on him and under the restraints he is supposed to get an evaluation...

my lawyer told me to organize it so i am doing research trying to find the right way to go about it...

i am searching for a psychiatrist to do the evaluation......but i am having a hard time..i spoke to one on the phone tonight and he mentioned something called intermittent explosive disorder...i never heard of it before, but did a search on it and
it isnt that uncommon..im not sure if that is the issue, and no one can be sure until he is totally off of the drugs....his DOC right now is cocaine and he is on suboxone as well.

i am really confused as to how to go about this the right way...anyone have any advice?????

Anna

Hi drainedwife,

I'm not clear on why you need a psychiatric evaluation for your husband? Is is as part of a divorce proceeding?

Does your husband want to have a psychiatric evaluation? If so, just keep calling psychiatrists until you find one who will help you. You said you found one who would not evaluate him until he is off drugs. Is there some urgengy to this evaluation or can you wait.?

atalose

Why would your lawyer be putting that responsibility into your hands? That doesn't make any sense. It's his problem and if he agreed to an evaluation it's up to him to take on that responsibilty not you. Why put more on your plate right now then needs be.

drainedwife

i agree with you at a lose that i should not bee doing this... he should be looking into getting the eval...if he doesnt then i go forward with the divorce...

i dont know why my lawyer is telling me to, but i have trusted him so far and he must have his reasons...they are probably legal reasons....anyway, it is in our consent order that he needs to go for an immediate evaluation. my therapist believes there are mental health issues going on as well....

he also has been on suboxone for over a year now while he has been doing cocaine so the soboxone, may have kept him off of oxycontin, but it did not cure his addiction..also, i read suboxone side effects include mood swings....

i am just getting confused and dont know which direction to go to.. at a treatment center i called today, an LCSW told me he should get treated for anger management first (for safety reasons) and once that is completed then go for substance abuse treatment.....i dont agree with that...so the more people i talk to the more confused i am getting.....

shutterbug

Anna....substance abuse is often the result of self-medicating something else. Most people don't realize that if there is a history of substance abuse in their family lines...then most probable is also psychiatric issues. Sexual and physcial abuse is often another sign among family lines that mental illness is at the root. A lot of people don't want to accept this b/c it would mean that anyone with substance abuse issues could start having people wonder if they have mental illnesses. It's not a popular thing.

DrainedWife: My suggestion is to visit www.nami.org (National Alliance for Mental Illness) there you can find a link to the state you are in and that will lead you phone numbers and offices in your area that you can call for information and a possible referral to a respected psychiatrist.

Also, mental illness is different than just dealing with someone who is an alcoholic or drug addict. If a person is properly diagnosed and then learns what that diagnosis means and then is willing to help themself to live past the mental illness then help from spouses and loved ones is always a good thing.

I would be homeless if it weren't for my mom and step-father...as i went through a 2-year bout of my personal mental illness and struggled just to barely function. With their help, and many others, i am back better than i was before in both my career and my mental health.

If your husband refuses to try to let you help get him started....then that is on him, but there is nothing wrong with trying to help someone who is struggling and may not even realize WHY they are struggling.

Hugs and best wishes,
Jenna

raerae6

try this

addiction psychiatrist listing for jacksonvelle florida

http://www.healthgrades.com/local-do...-psychiatrists

shutterbug

As for the p-doc refusing to evaluate him until he gets off drugs....the fact is that most p-docs WILL NOT give an official diagnosis of any particular mental illness unless a person has been clean for a good while (the amount of time varies among some doctors, but usually no less than 3-6 months).

Why? Because mental illnesses are so difficult to correctly diagnosis as it is without the affects of something else altering the way a person behaves and things. For example: Researchers found that 50 percent of those given a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD were actually bipolar...and half those diagnosed as bipolar were actually dealing with ADD/ADHD.

That said...there are a LOT of good p-docs out there who will take into consideration a persons active addiction and still try to help them with things like depression and anxiety that can make getting clean SUPER difficult. The anger issues could also possibly be a symptom of a mental illness issue....rather than just the sole problem.

Usually, there is a reason for things.

shutterbug

All that being said.....no one should EVER put up with being abused and if you aren't already seeing a counselor who specializes in physical and sexual abuse issues then I would HIGHLY recommend it. I've been seeing a therapist for about 3 years now whom i mainly see for my depression/bipolar, but she has a vast knowledge of abuse issues and her wisdom has really helped me more times than i can even count (as i've also dealt with all forms of abuse in my life).

Hugs,
Jenna