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He Has A Triple Diagnosis—Where Do I Start?

Dominique Simon October 18, 2018
0 Comments
EMDR

Allies member frankstr's son has a triple diagnosis: PTSD, SUD and most recently, blindness. Where does he start?

Our 38-year-old son lives since january, after his detention, in our home.

He uses Cannabis and crack. As far as I know on a weekly basis.

He suffers from PTSD since his 17th, and has decided to go for a treatment with EMDR.

Unfortunately there is a long waiting list.

In our home he is friendly and quiet.

Two months ago he was suddenly hit by blindness. Diagnosis is LHON: Leber hereditary optic neuropathy is an inherited form of vision loss.

So he has a triple diagnosis: PTSD, Drug-dependent and blindness.

The doctor who diagnosed his lhon advised him to revalidate in a specialized clinic for people with vison loss. Yesterday he heard this clinic has rejected him because his past detention. Which is a big disappointment for him, because he is very motivated to start learning how to cope his blindness.

Suggestions and advice are welcome.

I am sorry to hear about your son’s new diagnosis that will likely leave him blind.

How does a past legal infraction deny your son medical care? There is something very wrong with this. If I am understanding this correctly, I suggest you talk to legal aid. There is a society for LHON, but it’s in England http://www.lhonsociety.org/.

If your son is motivated to learn how to cope with blindness than this is where to start. Also, EMDR should be easier to access. Lots of individual therapists provide EMDR. Have you tried looking around? Psychology Today has a good searchable directory (See this link in our Resource Supplement).

The weekly pot and crack use is more up our alley. It sounds like that is not the focus right now for you. Again, I would start where your son wants to start: coping skills for blindness and EMDR for PTSD, and hope the providers identify and encourage him to address the drug use. Getting help for the conditions he wants help with and locating more possible providers so that he gets served as fast as possible seems like the next step. I am glad your son is willing to work. That is huge. It would be a shame for him to lose that motivation because doors don’t open.

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Dominique Simon
Dominique launched Allies in Recovery in 2003. Her work has been featured on HBO and NPR. She is a facilitator and a trained speaker on issues of addiction and the family. She has worked extensively developing and evaluating federally-funded substance abuse programs for organizations and clinics throughout Massachusetts and New York. With an interest in recovery and substance abuse that spans 20 years, she sees a huge need to help families develop the skills to help a loved one recover fully in a supportive, whole, and lasting way in their families and in their communities. Her mission is to have Allies in Recovery fill that gap.

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