How do you convince someone with a mental illness?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

As someone who works in the field, you can't force someone to take their meds. Normally, patients get their meds, take them until they feel fine, then stop taking them because they think they don't need them anymore, which brings them back to needing them again. It's a horrible cycle that people often never recover from.

The best advice I can give would be to show that person that you care for them, and that you want what is best for them, but can not support them if they are making poor life-decisions for themselves. Often times, people are willing to take their medications for others if they are not willing to take them for their own wellbeing.

Well, it's difficult because there are a number of reasons for not wanting to take medication. Side effects being one of those reasons. Admitting that there is something wrong with your mind being another reason. In the end it all comes down to the person who takes the meds. I take meds for schizophrenia and I think that I want to come off them because of the reasons I already mentioned. I keep on taking them because I get really ill if I don't take them. But then I think that the pills I take might have me dependant on them and then that is why I get ill. It's a difficult situation for both the person who is diagnosed (or labelled - another thing that doesn't go down very well) and those who love that person.

I agree with Julia by the way. She's right on.

i think the support group is out of order... its not their place to tell someone to leave someone. they are there to SUPPORT not tell people to leave people. its gross misconduct. why does she go to this crazy group?

presumably this BF gets support? its up to the treatment team to keep an eye on him and get him to be treatment compliant. the main reason people stop taking their meds is due to the horrible side effect they get from taking them.