How can you help someone with mental illness, who won't even help themselves!
Question: Unfortunately, your problem, which is similar to getting help for drug/alcohol abusers, if very difficult.
A lot depends on the mental stability of the person in question. i/e, will he/she hurt someone or themselves?
If this is the case then the closest family needs to seek advice from mental help professionals as to how to proceed.
If the person can finally agree to get counseling, great, If not then intervention by the legal system may be in order.
The worst thing, is to do nothing.
I wish you well.
Answers: Unfortunately, your problem, which is similar to getting help for drug/alcohol abusers, if very difficult.
A lot depends on the mental stability of the person in question. i/e, will he/she hurt someone or themselves?
If this is the case then the closest family needs to seek advice from mental help professionals as to how to proceed.
If the person can finally agree to get counseling, great, If not then intervention by the legal system may be in order.
The worst thing, is to do nothing.
I wish you well.
You can only help someone so far.......if they don't want to help themselves then there is little you can do.
you can't it is up to them to get help for themsleves or you could always try intervention you'd know if you've seen it.
You can't.
However, if they do something crazy that requires police involvement, then they will be forced to get help. You know, like a domestic dispute where you feel threatened in any way.
Good luck!
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I know what you mean. All people must change themselves but they must be listened to as well to get to the roots of the problems. Always listen even if you have to go to hell and back with trying
You can't. First, you owe it to them to tell them what you think is happening. If they are a danger to themselves or others, you call 911. That is the extent of your responsibility.
you cant. its all up to them. no one will ever change if forced. they have to want to
Any help will be a stop gap measure. Help as in having them involuntarily committed if they have shown they are a harm to themselves or others. There are criteria that has to be met before a person can be "treated" for an illness against their will.
If they refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem then they will most likely have to hit rock bottom before they change their mind. But the nature of mental illness is such that if their concept of reality is skewed then even AFTER hitting rock bottom they may choose to wallow there instead of getting help.
You cannot help anyone who won't help themselves.
But let them know that you are available if they want or need your help. Don't be judgemental and if they say they don't want help don't force it upon them, or you risk isolating them further. Provide them with info, resources and listen. Thats all you can do.
If they are in danger of putting themselves, others, major property or there reputation then they will be made an involuntary patient in most states or countries. But this does more harm than good alot of the time.
Chris- Registered Nurse and Counsellor
You can't totally help them but you can get them the info that they need to help themselves and you can be supportive, which is a huge help.
I have a sister with bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia and it is impossible to get her properly treated.
It is a crime in this country how the mentally ill or treated but mostly ignored.
Mentally ill people cannot help it and that is the thing you have to keep in mind however frustrating it may get.
If you are actually serious about helping here, you need to change your frame of mind coming into this. If you truly believe that the person in question will not/does not help themselves, then you will never succeed in being a help. By stating this in the question, you've already pronounced your judgment, and have no hope of getting to a place where you could actually help with this person.
You need to keep in mind that the world this person experiences and the world you experience are not the same world at all. This certainly makes helping a challenge, but does not make it impossible, so don't listen to the stream of people saying it can't be done.
If you're willing to accept that this person experiences a completely different world, you can move on to things that may be helpful. Being acceptive and supportive and non-judgmental are probably the most important things. If the person is open enough to share part of their world with you, be particularly sensitive with that. In that case you have the ability to cause endless amounts of pain, and thoughtless comments are just as hurtful as targeted attacks.
I think it says a lot of good things about you that you care enough to ask a question like this. I would encourage channeling that by discarding all of your preconceived notions and trying to be a pillar of support for the person.
If you feel they might hurt themselves or others, you can report this to the police to get them help- whether they like it or not. I had a friend who threatened to shoot himself, so I called the cops and they took his weapons away.
Otherwise, there isn't much you can do but tell them to get help. You might want to offer to get them phone numbers or leads in order for them to get help.
People that have certain mental problems will not look in the mirror at themselves. It is always everyone else fault.
You can get help for yourself so you can cope with this type of person. You can figure out how to take care of yourself if you have to be around this person.