Episodes...

Well, it's been a fun few days. What I call Mom's episodes are becoming more frequent and last longer.  She works herself up and becomes agitated about nothing.  And nothing is relative.  It is nothing to me, but everything to her. 

Yesterday we were in the car, waiting in line to pick up Katie at school.  Normally, Mom will sit and just people watch while providing me with a running commentary of everyone's movements.  But, something was different.  This time she suddenly started saying that even if Katie was in the school that she didn't know where to find us.  It progressed to her belief that it wasn't actually a school and that Katie left hours before.  After several variations of this, it ended up with her being convinced that if she moved through the gates and into the school that they were going to kill her.  If you have ever talked to a mentally ill person, you probably know that there are no right answers.  There was nothing that I said that got through to her.  I spent almost 20 minutes grasping her seat belt and holding it closed so that she could not get out of the car.  I had to roll the windows up because she was screaming for help.  I couldn't drive away while physically trying to restrain her.  I was forced to take her into the school. 

Are there solutions for this situation?  No.  But there are things that I can do to make it easier.  In the future, I will plan to leave later for the school pick up giving her less time to work herself up. And, I have found some seat belt clips that will prevent and/or slow her down if she tries to unhook her seat belt.  And, at her next doctor's appointment, I will beg for drugs to calm ME.