How can I get my 52 year old schizophrenic bother committed?
My brother has been diagnosed with schizophrenia about 27 years ago. He does well when he is on medication. He has not taken his medication for about 2 years and I must get him help.
Our family had him commited several times. The most recent commitment was by 3 party petition 4 years ago. A result of this commitment, was his move out of county (dumping program) to a half way house. Now we have not had regular contact with him & the new county will not do anything unless my brother seeks help with social services in that county. As you know, a schizophrenic will not ask for help. What can I do? Please help. Time is running out.....
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
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Hello,
We have a 60 year old schizophrenic brother who was taken from his house by Social workers and placed in a mental hospital until the medication took hold and he was coherent. He like your brother went off his medication and was completely psychotic..
We then obtained a guardianship from the courts and he ultimately was placed in an adult home where he is today....Social Security pays for his room and board.
He is now stable, has an ok environment --if we had more resources I would like to place him a private independent living setting...
we will check back to see if we can assist further...
Best,
Gina
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Monica
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Gina
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Hello Monica,
Our situation was unusual in that my brother lived with my mother who also needed immediate attention....We contacted Jewish Family Services and asked what we could do...They sent out a Social worker several times but my mother wouldn't let anyone in....
One last time the social worker attempted to gain entry and my mother had accidentally left the door ajar so the social worker looked inside and immediately phoned 911 and our mother was transported to the hospital by ambulance....My brother was not at home but arrived as they were taking my mother away; he then became combative but he was not taken in at that time..
The next day he visited my mother and acted so strangely that they hospitalized him immediately...He remained confined for 90 days as his condition was very serious.
Monica we know that it is very difficult to have a mentally ill person obtain any help as they have to be a threat to others or to themselves...Our situation was easier in that respect as society treats the elderly in more humane ways and our mother's condition, in a way, paved the way to obtain help for our brother....
I do not know if it is allowed but I would gladly talk with you by phone as there is allot to cover.... If you find that we can exchange numbers please let me know..
In the interim if you have a Jewish Family Servie in your area ( you do not have to be Jewsh to access services) contact them and look at your options...
Monica, if you are willing, please provide more info regarding your brother..does he live at home how does he support himself and what does he do all day? prior to our brother's hospitalzation, he walked the streets and wandered the neighborhood...
Best,
Gina
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