Hello, everyone! I'm here to get answers regarding my brother. And, yes, I know you aren't supposed to give diagnosis over the internet, but if you could just give me some advice and/or tell me if anyone has had a similar experience, i'd greatly appreciate it. I love him dearly and I am really worried. Anyway here goes... My brother, i'll call him R, used to be on this acne drug called Accutane, one of the side effects of which can be schizophrenia. This may or may not have anything to do with all of this, but i figure i'd mention it. He started taking this in 8th grade/freshman year and periodically since then as his acne had flared up. During these times, he entered deep depressions where he has described what he called "the other me" who wants to do violent and murderous things. He was fully aware that this was part of him and not a separate entity, but he used to, and still does, fantasize about killing people, though he knows this is wrong is society's eyes. He also has had auditory and sensory hallucinations. So, R had been in these horrible (possibly psychotic) depressions for a long time and was at the edge of his life (he was going to commit suicide) when he tried DMT and had what he called a spiritual experience that saved him (not in an evangelical way, but in an enlightenment sort of way). He had energy, he was happier, and - most important - he was not an inch away from death. (Disclaimer: I AM NOT encouraging anyone to try DMT). Despite the depression disappearing, however, he still had some hallucinations. When I asked him if he knew they weren't real, he said that he looks at them and they disappear and that's how he knows. I think he still had fantasies about killing people, but they are less now because he distracts himself with computer games. Anyway, all of these symptoms were very much reduced after his depression went away. They weren't as bad. But, now, he says that everything except the depression comes back after 6 months for a period of about three months. Here are all his symptoms during this period: -hallucinations (of people and "weird things" i'm not sure what he means) -he says he hears voices in his head. He says he thinks they are his voice, but he is not sure. He says he answers them sometimes and then realizes he's talking to himself. -fantasies about murder. they aren't as bad as they were when he was on accutane thank god. -he has very violent and murderous impulses where he says rage and hate take over and he wants to kill someone, but he is able to take back control from this and knows that its wrong after he does. - he's paranoid, but he's been this way since he was little. For example, when my mother got a school counselor to talk to him, he said he thought she was lieing to him to make him take medicine. Even though he says this, he now recognizes that this notion is not rational. -He gets headaches when he talks about his illness -he has no motivation to do anything or get help, although he recognizes that he is mentally ill he does not have disorganized speech or random body movements. He is very rational when it comes to all this and talks about it. He is generally not an angry or violent person (despite how it seems in the list). He KNOWS that it is morally wrong to kill and hurt other people. He understands that he has a problem, but he says that he'll just wait 3 months for it to pass, even though the symptoms are still there just less potent. But i'm worried that his symptoms will only continue to grow until he has no choice but to hurt someone or himself. I desperately want to help him. And, as horrible as it sounds, i'm afraid of him - my own brother! I don't know what to do. He refuses to see a psychiatrist or a therapist. if any of you have any advice or comments please post. Thanks
It sounds like you should get him to a psychiatrist ASAP, you don't want him acting on his violent fantasies for your, his, and your community's sake. You don't need his consent if he is having hallucinations. It's situations like this where the family doesn't report anything that lead to mass murders, you don't want that on your hands.
Yes, i know. I've told my parents to do that, but my brother has said that he would fight anyone who tried to get him there and that means it would probably trigger his violent side. How do I get him help without someone getting hurt?
Go to the psychiatrist without him first, and describe his symptoms like you did in this thread. Make sure to mention that he is resistant to the idea of psychiatric help and that he threatened violence. The psychiatrist will tell you how to get him there without significant risk to you or your family, or may refer you to someone who can. I didn't get the impression from the first post that he had threatened violence toward real people yet, but since he did, the urgency on this moves WAY up. Do this tonight if possible, and tomorrow for sure. Also don't let him see this thread, or let him know what you are planning, as that presents a risk to your well being.
Every time someone has a psychotic episode the neural pathways in the brain are rewired...which means that they get worse and worse to the point that the person completely loses it. The sooner the cycle is broken the less permenant damage there'll be. He needs help now. Maybe do some research, and present parents and him with an argument why?
Well, he didn't really threaten violence outright. He said that if we tried to force him, it could provoke his violent side and someone would get hurt. But your right he needs help ASAP.
i think the hospital might take him, but i'm not sure. it depends on where you are (i'm not from the US so i don't know how this works out over there) and their guidelines. i would call and ask if i were you. if they are willing to take him, and he's unwilling to go, they'll come and get him, as he's a danger to the public, so you won't have to risk him hurting you as you try to bring him in.
Yes, I would, get him professional help as soon as possible, whether its going to a mental institution or seeing a shrink... ~Josie
No we haven't done anything yet. My mom said she is waiting for a call back from the doctor. Although to be honest sometimes I wish we could just send him away now. It sounds horrible and I feel like a horrible sister, but I'm terrified to go to sleep at night bc ik he has insomnia and...well you get the picture. Anyway I'll keep you updated and thanks for the support and advice!
Your action depends a lot of his age. If he is under 18, whoever is his legal guardian can have him evaluated or committed whether he agrees to it or not. If he will fight someone off, they may be able to talk him through it, or they will come and physically take him (potentially with the help of police) and then give him an injection to calm him quickly so he does not have to be so stressed for so long. If he is an adult and no one has a health proxy for him, he may not be able to be committed by family, but if he is a risk to himself or the community the same scenario as above can happen anyway. When someone is committed to a psychiatric hospital (you can call one for advice), they are brought in, tranquilized if necessary to keep them from hurting others or themselves, and then held for a required 72-hour evaluation period. If he exhibits no signs of mental illness or threats to anyone, he would be released at that time. But more likely, they will start trying medications and look at his prior medical history, and get him stable before releasing him with a medication plan, and follow-up appts. with a therapist and psychiatrist who will follow him on an outpatient basis. It is important to listen to mentally ill people and determine if their concerns are valid, a person is not always dangerous or irrational simply because they have a mental illness, since it is a long-term disease. But if someone is clearly delusional, hallucinating, or talking about violence toward themselves or others, they need help right away no matter what they say, for their own good. When they are feeling better later, they will likely thank you for caring enough to take that step for their future safety and risking them being angry. Be aware that mental illness unfortunately has very complicated causes, and for many people can be managed or even basically cured by addressing a separate medical or situational cause. For instance, some symptoms that present as mental illness actually stem from brain tumors, electrolyte/vitamin imbalances, too little sunlight, an allergy to a medication (like you mentioned the Accutane as a possibility), or other diseases that you would never think are related. Sadly, many mental health workers are poorly trained in medical fields outside of their speciality, and have no contact with doctors of other kinds (unlike every other field of medicine which requires a whole-body approach, mental health in the US operates for no logical reason whatsoever as if the brain is not connected to the rest of the body - when in fact it is connected to every single cell in the body). Knowing this, you are your family can help guide your brother to get complete medical workups (by a Neurologist, get a physical, etc.) in addition to getting the guidance of the mental health profession. He will need to find the cause of his mental illness, whether that is diagnosed as bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. For some, causes in part stem from early childhood trauma/abuse. For others it is primarily genetic - are there other people in the family who likely had mental illness, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or addiction? (all are classified right now as related to each other genetically) It makes it hard to get help when a number of the people in the family don't know what is normal/healthy. It could be that he is under severe stress, and when that resolves, he will be better. Be brave, there are many possible reasons and combinations, but your support I'm sure means a lot to him. It is important that he always have at least one person he can talk to that he trusts, and that might need to be someone outside the family. Many people, with a year or several of work, find a healthy balance, and many even feel that they outgrow or are cured of their condition, depending on the cause and the indicated treatment. The important thing is doing exactly what you are doing - tell someone who is in charge in the family, tell professionals, and get him help as soon as possible before he hurts someone else or himself, so he will get that chance to work things out. Some of the more severe mental illnesses that involve lack of connection to reality can be very unpredictable, and a person can be fine and normal and calm one minute, and violent in the next without a lot of warning. If you have heard directly from him that he is struggling with these thoughts, then they must be pretty intrusive and troubling and have been there a while for him to admit them (people are so afraid of the stigma they often don't share the problem until it is too late), so it was absolutely right for you to tell someone and get him help right away, before those thoughts become too much for him in a bad moment. I think you actually have been a great sister. The only other thing you can do, is if your parents for some reason drop the ball, call an emergency help line like the Mental Health Association's (they have a website) and ask them for help. They will know exactly what to do, and they are open all day every day of the year to help with situations like yours.
LailaForbidden..Do you have any mental health support groups over there?? Especially ones that offer support to families?? As from personal exsperience I would strongly recommend that you speak to someone directly about this who knows the laws where you are & also someone who can reassure you, support you & guide you through the mine field, that is mental health. I use to work in mental health myself & have seen the difference that good support groups can make to family members & cannot recommend them strongly enough. They often have contacts & resources that professionals lack due to their boundaries & affiliations being different. My wife is a mental health Nurse & a close family member of hers has mental health problems. But that does not mean that she finds it easy to deal with the arising issues or that she has all the answers, or even that her family member gets the treatment that they need, when they need it..Far from it. Get yourself some real world support LailaForbidden & work from there. You are not alone, even if it feels like it at times, nor are you going to solve every problem, especially if you do not have support to do so. All the best & you are being a good sister.
Someone I know recently posted on his sister's fb page about hurting himself. His mother ended up calling the police and the police went and spoke with him and they felt he was a threat to himself and took him to the hospital to be evaluated. They ended up holding him for almost a week but his meds are adjusted now and he's doing better. I know it sounds awful to have to call the police on your own brother but if you feel he could hurt himself or others, this might be your best option. They won't take him to jail, they will get him someplace safe. They are trained for these situations.
