My husbands sister has shown several signs of being bipolar, but refuses to seek professional help. It could be a combination of no insurance and limited funds, and also she has an older sister that was a paranoid schizophrenic ad set a bad example for all known mental disorders from total psychopath down to A.D.D. She has an entire fabricated childhood of abuse and neglect and claims her brother (my husband) has always treated her terribly. My husband is the sweetest guy in the world and would rather not speak to his sister than to say a hard word to her. The only reason why I've become concerned is because her depression, and other mental problems, are now effecting her 3 children. Her house is filthy beyond imagination. She refuses to clean. There are piles of maggots in her living room floor as well as animal feces and urine. The garbage is about 3ft high and goes from wall to wall through her whole house. I tried calling children and youth but they did not do anything. The only thing it accomplished was causing a rift in the family. So my questions is helpful suggestions. I don't know what to do. Should I have her commited? The rest of the family has concerns, but is in too much denial to do an intervention. I've tried ignoring the problem and just trying to take her out incase it was just stress and maybe some relief would relax her. Nothing I have tried has worked. I'm desperate at this point.
Q: I'm in desperate need for guidance when dealing with a mentally ill family member.
She risks losing her children. I would try to get her the help she needs. I'm surprised the child welfare agency did nothing. Did they not see the house? It's going to get worse and might not get better. It might get better only if action is taken at some point. Your sister-in-law has to want to get help because not wanting help is the prime obstacle.
I would keep careful watch of her behavior and try to get her help. In the U.S. and possibly the U.K. mental health clinics will charge clients on a sliding fee scale based on income if the person has no insurance or a low salary.
I would try to maintain a level of trust with the sister however if you need to call child welfare again by all means do what you feel you have to do. Sometimes by developing a level of trust you can influence someone to get help. The LEAP technique can help you in this regard. Log on to the LEAP web site for details.
Regards,
Christina
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