What can family members do?(long)

Avatar for picklespeach
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
What can family members do?(long)
1
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 5:02pm
Hello. I am hoping that someone here can give me advice on how my family and I can help my mentally ill brother. He has been diagnosed as both schizophrenic and with biplor disorder at different times over the past 4-5 years. He is 35 and attempted suicide the first time at 17. He has had alcohol and drug addictions over the years. As far as I know he has rehab'd from everything except marijuana, but I could be wrong since he is so good at covering up. He and his teenage son live with my mother. He has just in the last month finally started receiving disability after 10 years of being unable to keep a job. He and his son have forced my mother into having to work 2 jobs to support them all (although I think it's less about money and more about her trying to get away from them). She is not in good health herself, mentally or physically. My father will not allow my brother to move in with him because of his destructive behavior. My brother has been in and out of mental facilities since for the past 5 years, has attempted suicide more times than we can count, and is a self-mutilator. Most of his trips to the mental health center have been accompanied by the police, but they can only hold him legally for up to 5 days. He usually signs himself out after 2-3 days. My father and I have ZERO access to his doctors and caseworkers, they won't even return our calls. My mother has some access, but she is too unreliable and tends to tell lies because she likes playing the victim. Legal consultations with a lawyer and a judge opened our eyes to the reality of having someone committed against their will. They estimate a cost of $15000, a minimum of 12 months in the court system, and a very slim chance that we would win. My father and I desperately want to help both him and my mother because we can't continue to handle all the drama.

Where do we turn? What do we do? How can we throw a wrench in this vicious cycle?

Deanna 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 6:21pm

Oh, I would like to take the 'puter hobgoblins and tie them in knots!

AcornLeaves