Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[Ali11]

We're glad to hear that your son feels supported @Hope2019 and we hope the best for him in his recovery. How are you holding up? 

[beans]

Hi @greenpea 

Thank you for sharing your story. I have a brother that is battling some mental health issues and I wanted to touch base with you to get your perspective on how you think we can support him. Unfortunately he is not receptive to seeking help, therefore he does not have a diagnosis.

I'm not a medical professional, however I feel like his symptoms point to schitzophrenia. I think that a combination of genetics, heavy cannabis use and some instense life changes in a small amount of time has contributed to his decline. At the moment, I don't feel he is at risk to himself or others so I don't think involunatary treatment is an option for us. We also want to support him before it gets to that point. If he's not willing to seek help, I was wondering if perhaps you had some advice on how we could encourage him to do so? Do you have any suggestions on what to do or perhaps what NOT to do? At the moment family is the enemy for him and everything we say/do isn't helping him.

Thanks 🙂 

[Min30]

Hi @beans, 

How is your brother going? I've been searching this forum as I'm in a similar situation with my sibling, it's difficult to determine what constitutes as threat of harm to self or others, when I'm often using the 'it's not really them' reasoning. The words and agression suggest otherwise. 

It seems getting the initial diagnosis is the hardest. I'm at a loss of where to go from here. 

[beans]

Hi @Min30 

I'm sorry to hear that you're in a similiar situation. You're right- it is hard to determine what constitutes as a threat or harm to self/others. By all accounts, we need to wait until he actually does something before something is done. 

Things have escalated over the past week or so with my brother. His ex partner had an order put against him, which he breached. As a result of this he was arrested. I phoned the police to let them know we had concerns for mental health (i.e. threatened self harm earlier that day). He had a psych assessment by a nurse who 'couldn't see issues' with his mental health. Seemed like a check the box exercise ahead of court. He still doesn't think he needs help, and feels like he has now 'passed' an assessment. Now we have to wait until something serious happens I guess (and hope that it's not too serious!). Our system is a failure.

You're not alone in feeling at a loss, that's for sure. What sort of support network do you have? What avenues have you explored so far? The fact you're out there trying to find out information is great. I've found these forums useful (from both a support and personal experience aspect).