How can I help my brother?!

[cougar00]

I am writing because I am very concerned about my brother.  I don't know all the specifics but what I do know is that my brother was taking anywhere from 20-30 pain medication pills and other sorts a day.  In the last year and half he has been put in a detox treatment for a week and that didn't seem to make much of a change at first.  My mother then found a psychologist for him which seemed to be working for a little while.  SInce January of this month though, my brother has been unable to hold any job, he is either sleeping all day or very active, but has "odd" interests, such as growing plants which has never been of any interest to him.  He has completely withdrawn himself from all of his friends, and when he does get lonely and decides to call his best friend up he usually goes back into isolation quickly, saying that they are up to no good and that everything bad starts to happen when he associates with them.  He always thinks people are following him, laughing at him, even trying to poison him.  I can't invite him over to my house because he thinks the food we cook is poisoned.  

We really do not know what we can do...the psychologist says that he needs to take responsibility and stop abusing the pills.  But he is not in his right mind, he was taking that many pills for well over two years, it is a miracle he didn't kill himself.  He doesn't resist us trying to check him into an inpatient hospital but when we tried that his insurance didn't cover it and it would cost over $20,000 for a month of treatment and we don't have that.  Where do we go from here?  Please help guide us to where we should look next.  Many thanks!!

Cougar

[Allicat0117]

wow..that is kinda scary. I cant give you any advise on what to do but someone wil come along tomo that can help. Hang in there!

[Kevin_Bacon]

I don't know how the medical insurance thing works in the U.S. -- can he not walk into a psychiatric hospital and voluntarily commit himself?

If he says he's suicidal, and intends ot O.D. to end it all, can he legally turned away? That wouldn't be involuntary; he'd have to satisfy the Head Shrink that he's no longer a threat to himself or anyone else ... pretty extreme, but worth checking out. Really, really checking out.


That could be your last chance, as long as he isn't sent to some Gothic dump and kept drugged out of it for three weeks or more -- that's why you really have to do your homework on this. You can't just walk in and sign him out ... better to exhaust ALL possibilities for a voluntary in-patient status deal, so you'll have control of the situation.

Good night, and good luck. -- Edward R. Morrow