Need help with Step daughter diagnosed with Bi-polar paranoid schizo, no insurance, smokes pot

Hello kfuschino,

This may not be what you want to hear and I'm not sure exactly if I have the term right, however, you may want to have her declared a "ward of the state" where legally she is declared unfit to care for herself.

Also, a lot of states have ACT teams, or Assertive Community Treatment teams where people are forced to take medication.  However, as you have suspected, her use of marijuana (pot) could very well be causing the SZ symptoms.

I would investigate the legal avenues you have.  As well, because she is an adult, she may have to hit rock bottom before she decides to clean up her act.  The marijuana use is only making her SZ worse, as you well know.

It is within your right to tell her she has to find her own apartment, that she can't do drugs if she lives with you.  You'll be afraid she'll wind up on the streets, but that is the risk because you have no control over her behavior, you can't make her change, and letting her smoke while she lives under your roof is enabling her behavior.

I can understand if you'd rather give her love than tough love, however, what I see here is that she needs immediate treatment, and if the state decrees she's unfit to care for herself, maybe treatment can be found through legal means.

Respectfully,

Christina

o wow im very sorry but if u really want to be a good parent u will step up and startin her out. let her talk to u about your problems with the skizo. and STEP UP TO THE PLATE!

She sounds as though she has relapsed. If you can get her involuntarily put into the hospital ask the doc to get her on meds that can make her thinking more clear such as clozaril I am not an expert on this matter however, it sounds as though she is a threat to herself because she is not EATING this may help her dad and you be able to get her some help. If she will not take her meds there are shots that she can get once a month they can be court ordered (at least I have heard of this) and if she don't get them the law can pick her up and send take her to the hospital.CLOZARIL sounds like the best Idea that I can think of although it has its bad points cause people on that med has to have blood tests called Complete blood counts but after a year these tests are only required once a month. God bless you and good luck

hey kfuschino

i had wrote this long answer for you and lost it. so i going to try to shorten it i have to go to work. i have been about where you are. anyway the drinking and pot smoking i think is a self med thing for some of these kids im not saying its right and it prob doesnt help but i honestly think it is part of it. what i finially had to do after he isolated his self pretty much and after finially thinking of talking to a friend that is a behavior spec. i went to court and got guardianship this was after along battle of trying to get him hosptalized which we did once and did not help i was not able to get anything else done. the answer i got was to put him out. well im sorry im am this young man's mother couldnt do it anyway after i got the guardianship i was able to make dr app. and was even able to get him on ssi and he now has insurance he is now on med and is going to try for his own place. dont know if its going to work but we are going to try. it has not been easy and is still not easy i have had to give him his med every night for over a yr now. we are just now starting on a shot hoping its going to work, i have controll over his money and will not help him get his own place without him agreeing to get the shot every two weeks. i hope something i said helps you good luck!!

bkangel