my brother was jailed for 7 months after having a violent psychotic break and a run in with cops.
He's got out. Appeared to be doing better. But is falling back into the behaviors he had during his psychotic episode.
He was completely delusional. He said he was some kind of secret celebrity and everyone watches him. We went to the mall with him and he'd disappear for a few minutes, then say he was meeting with fans.
He'd get angry if we called it out. Sometimes violent. To the point where he'd throw himself on the floor flailing.
Now, it's going back to that again. He's posting on facebook, tagging large companies in posts and saying he's auditioning and their casting him and stuff. He also says he's a musician.
I know that this delusion stems from dissatisfaction of his life. He's not where he wants to be in life, so he deludes that he is an upcoming celebrity to fake success..
I feel terrible. My brother's whole life, he was a charismatic, intelligent, popular guy. Always had friends, always had a job, always had a girlfriend, always happy, carefree, etc.
he lost his friends because they thought he was a joke. He told them he was a musician. And somehow got to preform at a small bar in the area. But all he did was delusionally bang on a keyboard. His friends were mortified, called him out on it. He got angry with them, they left.
Seeing him now is just embarrassing and saddening. Most people do not understand what kind of mental illness this is. So a lot of our friends make fun of my brother and I have to stand up and say he's not mentally well. After knowing him most of our lives, they see him do a 180 and fall apart.
How do you stop a delusional person from being delusional? We've tried to admit my brother, then he fakes being normal when psych evaluators come, and they say nothing is wrong with him.
>>16992266
he needs to be on medication, get him help
if you're worried that he's a threat to himself or others you can get him admitted to a psychiatric hospital
Well your brother needs professional help. Obviously, the first step to "cure" him is to make him admit he has a problem. How you'll go about doing that I have little to no idea, I don't know if simply talking to him and telling him what you wrote here would do anything good. Most likely it will make him resent you.
Talk to a specialist, there's no way someone here can help you with a problem this complicated.
>>16992273
He hasn't been violent since before jail. But I am starting to notice the start of it again. As I said with the posts about being a celebrity on facebook.
We've tried to admit him. He went to the ER for having a panic attack because he thought he was having a heart attack. A person came to evaluate him.
Like a switch, he turned off all the crazy and said he's fine. Just a normal guy that got a little stressed out and everyone else overreacted.
When we try to get him evaluated, he acts normal. Without getting the green light by a psychiatrist, he gets no help.
>>16992266
I honestly sounds there's a bunch of things going on at once. He's probably a mix of all of these things but the first big one is a form of schizophrenia. Especially with the whole secret celebrity thing. Bi-polar comes up with the temper tantrums. schizoaffective disorder might be more accurate of a description.
Yeah if you guys have already admitted him and he pulls that stuff, he's aware of what's going on but he's going to do anything and everything in his power to be free of that.
Honestly, I'm really sorry you and your family are going through that. That shit is heartbreaking. You need to keep him admitted or if he is out, you need to log and video everything he does. You need that evidence to get him help.
>>16992288
I don't even think he intentionally "turns the switch off" Or at least, I think he has very little control. I literally think his brain does what it can to allow him to continue his delusion. Telling these delusions to a psychiatrist, will make him admit it is wrong. It's like his delusional brain is protecting him. I don't even think he has control over it.
>>16992293
Yea, our mom has schizoaffective disorder. My brother is late 20's, which I heard is a time when these things can start revealing themselves. My brother also had ADHD as a child, which I heard is linked to these disorders...
It's just, we all want to help, but it's like it's out of our control. It's like we have to watch him crash and burn.
When he broke the law, we tried to tell the judge to get him psychiatric care. But they didn't allow it. I don't know why. And in prison, I think my brother "turned off that switch" too. He said all the "mental" guys in prison got beat up, sent to isolation, got put with all the other violent crazies. He acts normal to survive when necessary.
>>16992294
that;'s what mentall illness is man. It's a block in your brain and it's going to make you believe things that aren't true while at the same time, you're fighting yourself in your mind and you are aware of what's happening but you have no internal control over that. Most normal people keep that stuff to themselves and move on, mentally ill people don't know any better.
>>16992288
>>16992294
Get an appointment with a psychiatrist and tell them the situation. Also, a lawyer might help.
It is not normal for people to be jailed because they did something which was completely out of their control. Sue the cops who arrested him.
And since he's clearly a danger to himself and others, you can legally get him to be forcibly committed and medicated. Get a lawyer, or go to the ER and TELL THEM about the situation. It is not HIM who is supposed to tell about it, it's YOU. Almost all psychiatric evaluation requires for third party accounts of his behavior, so what you and your family tells would make a difference between him being jailed or not, and medicated and committed or not.
It's an illness, much like diabetes. There's nothing you can do to help him, other than get him psychiatric help and treatment (anti-psychotic medication, prescribed by a doctor). It's out of your control. And it will get worse over time if you do nothing.
>>16992308
Shit man. If your mom has it, so does your brother. That is genetic. You prob got a little lucky and didn't develop it or it hasn't manifested itself yet..I digress.
The law doesn't care about that shit man. The system is broken towards mental health. Statistically most people killed by police are mentally ill. that's just a fact.
You are going to continue to watch him crash and burn unless you put him in a ward. I'm not saying that's going to be easy or is the solution but if he's already been to jail and still doesn't understand, he never his. No amount of medicine or therapy can help those conditions. Especially if he's being two-faced about it...that's part of the condition. He probably learned a lot in jail to counter these things in the real world which let's you know he is aware but the illness takes over at those stressfull moments and blindsides everyone. You're 100% right when you say you don't think he has little control. He does not. The ADHD thing is usually thrown around, that prob doesn't matter too much. I have that but that's true, it usually is linked.
I don't know OP. None of this shit is easy but you guys need to log and video everything that happens. Buy a tape recorder or keep your phone's apps on but you need to document him in these moments to give to a judge/professionals that can deal with these things.
>>16992326
My brother assaulted a cop when he was being arrested. This wasn't the first time. It'd be an impossible battle to fight. My brother doesn't even want to admit he has a problem. As I've said, we've attempted psych evaluations, they never work because he acts normal. He once got a referral to a therapist, but since he is an adult, he can cancel his own appointments.
Also, what if we can't afford a lawyer?
I've been through the same thing with my mother. Getting her committed and medicated was always a battle. We've never even been able to get her legally forced to take her medication.
>>16992293
You can be bipolar and have psychosis. In fact, it's very common for people with bipolar disorder to experience psychotic breaks.
>>16992342
Sorry. I just realized I lied to you. I said no amount of medicine or therapy can help but that's not true at all. There are A LOT of really amazing anti-psychotic medicines and cognitive therapists out there that can help.
>>16992355
I know all of this. I can bring a horse to water, but I can't make it drink. Which is the most frustrating part of this situation.
I just want to somehow get my brother into the door with therapy. Maybe if I could just say to go for a different reason. Not for the delusions, but convince him to go for some other reason, that may entice him to go. I don't know what would work though. He feels attacked if we say the wrong thing, anything that belittles him or make him think we are calling him out on a lie.
>>16992346
>they never work because he acts normal
That's why you're supposed to go to a court with a lawyer. If you can't afford one, get a state-appointment one.
Also, call the NAMI for advice, and explain them everything thoroughly. If you don't like talking about it, send them an email ([email protected]).
From the the NAMI homepage:
"What to Do In an Emergency
Call 911 if you or a loved one are in immediate danger. Notify the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for an officer trained to help people with a mental health condition.
If you are in crisis or just need to talk about suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline."
It doesn't matter if he acts normal. You can act very normal and yet experience severe psychosis.
It will be your fault if something bad happens this time. I tried to help you get the situation under control, but you keep on making excuses not to do something about it.
Also, sue to cops who arrested him. They didn't provide him psychiatric evaluation even though he experienced psychosis and detained him for something he's not legally responsible of, which is a ground for a lawsuit. It doesn't matter if he punched someone - he wasn't legally responsible.
>>16992362
Honestly, you need to arrange something with a ward. Explain the situation. I think you may be at a worst case scenario situation. You're going to need to have him removed through force. Which means that you might have to have EMT's and police present. They will restrain him and take him to the hospital. You NEED to make sure there are no objects he can harm himself with when they come and reveal nothing so it blindsides him when they restrain him. Don't worry, they won't take him to jail or kill him but you need to brute force to take him to the hospital.
He's not going to go on his own and you said even it was fighting tooth and nails with your mom. This isn't a "by choice" scenario anymore if you really are this concerned.
>>16992380
There's an easier solution:
Call NAMI, and ask for their advice. If the situation is really bad, call 911 and explain the situation.
>>16992326
not true, you can never force someone to take medication unless they are actively a physical danger to everyone around them and have to be injected for the protection of others
