Do you know about schizophrenia?!
Question: I know my brother is schizophrenic. Just trust me, I know he is. Last night we found him under the neighbors porch hiding from the sirens that were going off because there was a wreck down the street and the power went off in every house on my street.But my brother thinks they were coming for him. He hallucinated being raped last summer. He thinks he has psychic abilities and speaks with an old woman who only exists in his head. These are just a few of the delusions. He will not willingly go get help. My mother will not let us force the issue because his biggest fear is being locked up. He thinks he hurt someone , but it is only a delusion. It never happened. It is also important to me that you know he is NOT ON DRUGS. He is very paranoid. Any advice?
Answers: I know my brother is schizophrenic. Just trust me, I know he is. Last night we found him under the neighbors porch hiding from the sirens that were going off because there was a wreck down the street and the power went off in every house on my street.But my brother thinks they were coming for him. He hallucinated being raped last summer. He thinks he has psychic abilities and speaks with an old woman who only exists in his head. These are just a few of the delusions. He will not willingly go get help. My mother will not let us force the issue because his biggest fear is being locked up. He thinks he hurt someone , but it is only a delusion. It never happened. It is also important to me that you know he is NOT ON DRUGS. He is very paranoid. Any advice?
Talk with your mother about getting him help. Reassure her that even though he is afraid it is what is best for him. Most likely if he is schizophrenic he will not hurt anyone else but it is common for them to hurt themselves. He can live a fairly productive life on medication. Not be the CEO of a company but he won't be hiding under porches.
the voices in my head tell me, he needs help, from a professional.
He has a form of paranoid schizophrenia and the only way to fully help him is a psychiatrist with prescriptions, but since he's not willing to go, you may want to see if you can call one to your house to speak with you guys and your brother.
I'm not sure how pricey it is, but I know that there are ways to bring therapists into your home... he would probably feel more comfortable talking to someone while in his own "safe zone" than going to an unfamiliar office. Unfortunately, you may have to lie to him in order to get him help... it seems cruel, but for someone who really does need to be helped, it really is only for the best. Maybe you should try and be on his "side" and agree to everything that he says has happened or is happening, but then use it to help convince him to get help. For example "Johnny, this man can talk to you and work with you and keep people from coming to take you away and lock you up" or "Hey, this person wants to talk to about your psychic abilities, he's always wanted to talk to a psychic". Even though it seems childish in a way, it can really work out for the best.
Good luck!
he should be taken to a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist. if he is not a danger to self or others , he cannot be locked up. your mother needs to know that it is not her fault, and it is not fair for your brother to live this way. he probably is suffering, and not having any quality of life. covering up his illness is not fair to him, and to your mother hope this helps
Hi. My sister has schizophrenia, too. She exhibited some of the same symptoms as your brother. (paranoia, hallucinations of being raped, believing that other people could hear her thoughts, etc)
It is important to understand that your brother does not realize that he is sick. Sometimes schizophrenia freezes the self-image of a person. They lose the ability to see changes in themselves, like gaining or losing weight. This makes it harder to help a family member that is ill. But it is important to get help for your brother right away. The sooner he gets help, the better his prognosis will be in the long-term.
It is hard to understand and accept mental illness. Your mother might also just be surviving day to day and is simply too overwhelmed to go through a committment process.
Have you heard of NAMI? http://www.nami.org/ They have a hotline 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) that is operated M-F 10am-6pm Eastern time. You might suggest that your mother call the number. There's also a good book by Xavier Amador that is called, "I'm not sick I don't need help!"
My sister had to be committed to a state institution for a period of time. She didn't like it, but it was the only way that she would have been able to get better. For a while she was very angry at my family, but we kept on visiting her and now I have a very good relationship with her.