Quote (carteblanche @ Nov 19 2014 12:07am)
i'm worried about my brother. i talked to a friend who thinks he might have a mental illness (schizophrenia?).
he's 27 right now, year older than i am. ever since he started elementary school, he was disorganized, secretive, lying, lazy, doesn't do his school work. he fixates on things for long periods of time. when he was a kid, he'd play video games for hours and weeks. when he was in his 20s, he'd read about crazy workout plans (swinging clubs around) or read about stocks and investments. he has lots of crazy business ideas, but he changes his mind almost instantly about them. one day he was so sure he wanted to open an elk burger restaurant, the next day he's sure he wants to manage a hotel, then later the same day he just wants to invest in real estate. his latest business idea is to open a church. he feels smarter than everyone else.
he's always been very stubborn and can't manage his money. if all the money he has is 50$ in his pocket, he'll blow it on a restaurant and not make rent. when he was 18 he left the house and stayed with various friends until they all kicked him out. he blew / gave away his entire life savings (around 5k) in a month after he moved out. he went to the army and eventually quit it since he hates authority (threatened his commander) and he's not sanitary. he skips showers and won't change his clothes. after leaving the army, my dad got him a job at kroger, and he stayed there around 5 years. they slowly shrunk his hours, so im guessing they hated him but couldnt fire him. eventually my brother quit the job about 2 years ago and hasnt made a single effort to finding a new job. but he's convinced he'll make millions of dollars over the next few years.right before he quit, he told me he had a girlfriend who was a pharmacist at his kroger. he was waiting to get a better job before he proposed to her. personally, i really doubt they were dating. i suspect she was nice to him and he convinced himself they were in a relationship. but i've never seen them together or talking. i've never seen him with any girlfriend.
he's very detached from objects. the other day his coat got wet from the rain and he threw it away. mom hears him talking to himself when he's alone. yesterday mom called and said recently he started "sensing" ghosts in the house, and it scares him. mom's telling him it's karma because he's been bad. now he convinced my mom that he needs to change his name or the ghosts will never stop. mom just put him in a hotel an hour ago.
friend suggest schizophrenia. i read this on wiki:
idk about the auditory hallucinations, but the others all seem to fit. but then again, they also seem to describe me, so idk how reliable that is.
1) whom do i get him to talk to? he won't like a psychiatrist. he doesnt wanna hear anything's wrong with him because he's smarter than the doctors.
2) how do i pay for the doctors? he has no job, so no money nor health insurance. is there something he can qualify for?
/edit: it's more accurate to say i'm more worried about my mom than my brother. she's been panicking over his ghosts, and she shells out thousands of dollars on him because she feels the need to take care of him. she has a hard time sleeping because she's so worried/stressed. and one day when i die, i need my brother to take care of her. so i want him to be mentally stable with a job.
Good afternoon. Unfortunately, he is probably suffering from a whole host of various mental conditions that have only been exacerbated over the years from a lack of immediate medical intervention.
The solution now, given his age, is going to be long term mental healthcare, which may or may not require institutionalization.
The immediate problem can be solved with a court-ordered Mental Health Evaluation (in Florida, it is called a Baker Act, in other states, the name/program differs).
You must first research "Involuntary Mental Health Evaluation" with your state listed in the search. You will then find the answers you need to begin the process.
Once he is committed to an involuntary mental health institution, they will diagnose his conditions and make the appropriate medication recommendations, and/or therapy choices. They will either release him after 72 hours, or they will refer him to a long term facility for care.
The bottom line is, that he needs immediate help, or else he can potentially get worse to the point that be becomes an immediate threat to himself or others. Right now, he qualifies based on his inability to make a decision for himself, and also that without long term care, he is likely to suffer as the result of his illness.
Good luck!