Hello Jolene,
I am sorry to hear of your situation with your brother.
I'm not sure where you live but in most states in the U.S. the criteria for admittance to a psych hospital is that the person is a danger to himself or someone else.
You might have to exaggerate this danger and have the police come to take him to a hospital if he is not able to function and has deteriorated.
Unfortunately, because he has not taken his meds for two years he has no private psychiatrist who could call ahead and tell the hospital to admit him and not release him. This is what a woman who is an advocate with NAMI did so that her son would be admitted and not turned away.
If you know where he lives and he's in a halfway house and the staff refuse to get involved/have him committed, you might be able to bring a lawsuit against them for neglect. Also: in some states a person who does not take his meds can be "Baker Acted" or whatever the Assertive Community Treatment in that area is called. This is where he would be legally required to take medication.
You are in contact with your brother and know he is not well enough to live without the medication now. I would go to your local public law library or bar association and see if someone can research whether you can legally force the halfway house staff to have him committed.
Otherwise, you will possibly have to "lie through your teeth" as the expression goes and claim he is a danger to himself, and have the police take him to the hospital, and tell the police he is to be admitted and not released. You really just might have to say whatever you have to say to convince the staff at the hospital to admit him.
Lastly, it sounds like the staff at the halfway house don't want to get involved. This is sad. A person should not have to be psychotic before they are given treatment.
Regards,
Christina
Hello Gina ... I'm so happy to hear that your brother is stable now. But how did you get social workers to take him from his house? I have a 53-year-old schizophrenic brother in PA and have called numerous agencies. They all say nothing can be done unless/until he harms himself or someone else. My family is desperate to find a way to have him committed, because we fear he will not only harm himself when he becomes desperate enough, but he may harm many others at the same time. Any advice you can give me is greatly appreciated. Best regards, Monica