How can I help my 24-year-old brother who has schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with symptoms of emotional instability, detachment from reality, and withdrawal into the 'self'. There is a significant body of literature that suggests psychotherapy, with a spiritual and religious focus, can hold offer benefits for for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Trained therapists with sensitivity to different aspects of religious, spiritual, and cultural diversity can enhance these treatments through meditation
My brother has schizophrenia???
I'm sorry, that's a really difficult situation. He's likely saying that to you because that's how he feels about himself, and he's projecting it. It's called "displacement" and it's pretty common with schizophrenia. I know this is really hard, because hearing things like that is hard for anyone. If you can, try to read between the lines to hear what is really going on rather than what he is actually saying. When he says "You are..." imagine him actually saying "I feel like I am..." and try to react to the second one, not the first. For example, if your brother came to you and said "I think I am a failure in life" how would you react to that? I'm assuming that you'd want to help him, or that you would at least not feel angry if that's what he really said. Try to interpret what he's saying to you in your head to yourself so you here what's really going on, not the words of his rant. If things get to be too much, though, do you have somewhere else you can go for an evening or to stay the night? Do you have a friend's place or a relative's house or anything like that? You shouldn't have to deal with this, and I know it's not fair to you. It's hard to be patient 100% of the time, so it would be best if you have a way that you can take a break if you need it.
How can I help my homeless schizophrenic brother?
I would try getting to or otherwise contacting your brother first. Try to find him housing with someone like yoirself, another gamily member, a friend, or in a shelter. Try to find what shelters, social service centers, amd mental health facilite are neqr you. I would use the internet for that, although you could also ask around or use a phonebook. You or him may want to call 211 (like 911 but you dial a 2), whoch can get you in touch with some basic services. There are lots of organizations and programs that can help him, you just have to find them. Treating his mentla illness is goijg to be important, and I would look here: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help . Similarly, calling 1-800-662–4357 can also be effective. You may also want to check out: What are the best homeless living and survival hacks? for your brother. Try this link as well: Homeless Shelters | Find Homeless Shelters | Homeless Shelter Search . Lots of these recources are geared towards the mentally ill or homeless themselves, but they could be useful for you, too. I wish both you and your brother luck. Have a good day.
Schizophrenic Brother Getting Worse...?
SORRY THIS IS LONG My brother is schizophrenic & 7 yrs ago tried to kill my parents. He was in the mental state hospital for 6 yrs & now lives with us again. He was doing ok w/ his meds for the 1st few weeks, until he picked up smoking again. Now he is addicted & I mean ADDICTED. Seriously the majority of his social security income is spent on cigarettes & he has to have a smoke literally every 5 minutes, from the time he wakes up to well after midnight. He drinks as well. Well, ever since, ALL of his symptoms have been getting MUCH worse. All day, every day, he walks NONSTOP around the house, either laughin hysterically about absolutely nothing or arguing violently with the voices in his head. & he goes from 1 polar extreme to the next in jus seconds. He's SUPER hard to be around becuz he has not showered, put on deoderant, washed any of his 3 pairs of clothes, brushed his teeth or changed his underwear ONCE since he came back (nearing 1 yr ago). add the smell of 50 cigarettes a day, and, well, yea. Anyway, he's REALLY been freaking me out lately. He'll be up way past 2 am arguing w/ the voices, jumping up and down, punching walls, yelling, or laughing hysterically. He is obsessed w/ knives. He's bought over 5. And I keep overhearing freaky things from his convos with the "voices." Once, I woke up at 5 am to him yelling and sputtering something about "murdering [my dad]." I hardly sleep with him doing these things, nor do I ever have privacy during the day. I am currently hiding to type this. But my parents just keep indulging him as he's the "special" kid in the family. They're also away a lot & sleep in a sep. part of the house so they don't see HALF the stuff I do. I can't even get away cuz my mom makes me take him EVERYWHERE I read that nicotine messes w/ antipsychotics. I think he'd get better if he didn't smoke but I don't know how to tell my parents nor how to stop his insane addiction ANY HELP WHATSOEVER?? Any kind of support appreciated.
Should I allow my BF's schizophrenic brother to live with us?
My BF is saying that in the future his brother will have to live with him. I love my BF and I do not want to live with another person, especially if this person that is ill. My BF says that I 'm selfish, and that I don't support his family, but I think that if I allow his brother to live with us, I'll get stuck taking care of his brother (cooking, cleaning...) while he will be concentrating on his career, MBA, gym, etc. That's why I think it's not right for him to do this to me, but at the same time I don;t want to break up with him cause I love him. His brother was living with his sister for a while (about 5 months) and I could see the burden of having him over. I don't know what to do.
My brother is schizophrenic and my mother has dementia. I am trying to care for them, but it's affecting my entire life. What should I do?
Find a caregiver support group, either local or even online. It will give you information as to how to cope and let you know you’re not alone. Even signing up for daily emails can be helpful if you can’t get out to a meeting. You’re not as effective at caregiving if you’re overwhelmed. Look at local churches, department of aging or social services, and do an internet search on caregiving/caregivers/support groups. You’ll find lots of resources.Also, reach out for professional help. Will insurance pay for caregivers to come in and help out; that can be a godsend. TEven if it won’t, if you have someone come in just once a week for a few hours so you can get out without worrying can help a lot. here may be adult daycares they can go to to give you a break, or even respite facilities that can keep them for a few days. Look at care facilities; your family members may need more help than you can give; there’s nothing wrong with putting them in a care facility. Many are very well run with caring staff that take good care of the residents.Hugs.
My brother has Schizophrenia and Bipolar, Will I have it too?
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder both have a strong genetic component, but just because your brother has them doesn't mean that you necessarily will have either disease. You and your brother share a significant number of your genes, statistically about 50% of them, but that doesn't mean you got the same "mental health" genes as your brother. You could have inherited a totally different set, or only some of the same genes. So yes, there is a chance you could get them, but you are more likely not to. And as far as whether or not your brother will be cured, the sad answer is no. There is no cure for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, they are life-long conditions. There are, however, many successful treatments that can significantly decrease the symptoms your brother suffers. He could even potentially go into remission, meaning that the medication makes all of his symptoms go away and he doesn't even feel like he has a disease. This is less common than partial remission, but it does happen sometimes. Here are some resources about bipolar disorder and schizophrenia from the National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-index.shtml http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml Here you can learn about the diseases from a reputable source, including the symptoms, causes, and treatments for the disorders. I think you will find that the more research you do about your brother's conditions, the less scary they become. Yes, they are horrible diseases, but they ARE treatable and the person can live a mostly normal, successful, happy life with the right treatments. Your brother can be successful in life, even if he can't be cured. It will take time and patience, a lot of support from you, your parents, and his team of mental health professionals (psychiatrist and psychologist) but he will get there. Just keep being there for him the best you can, and learn as much about his illnesses as you can. Knowledge is power. Good luck! PS: My personal experience... I have bipolar disorder, and so does my uncle, but nobody else in my family does. My brother suffers from occasional periods of depression but he deals with it without medication. There is a long history of depression, anxiety disorders, and addictions in my family, but other than my uncle I am the only one with bipolar.
My brother is severely paranoid schizophrenic, what do I do?
So my 18yr old brother was diagnosed with severe paranoid schizophrenia. My mother and other brother are to the point that they can't handle it. I have more patience and am not around him much. When I talk to him I don't blame him for anything and try to talk about positive things. However it has become harder because he's getting worse. Right now, he swears everyone's poisoning him, first it was his friend, then the neighbor, then me...at which point my mom took him to the hospital and they said he wasn't poisoned, then the doctors were lying to him and trying to kill him, and now it's my brother and the neighbor trying to kill him. Someone is poisoning all the food, even at the stores...he says there's ppl that open everything and poison it.....and on and on. He's become increasingly more violent and the stories more bizarre. He's been to lock up twice and has been in 2 knife fights and countless fist fights when he was younger...so I believe he'd hurt one of us. My mother disagrees and she won't get him any help. They argue constantly and my mother loves drama. How do I make the understand that he needs help? How can I show them what he is going through? And how do I help him? P.S. I experienced with delerients a few times and have plummeted into total psychosis and somewhat understand what he's going through, the hallucinations I had were just as real as this laptop. I'd be typing on my laptop to realize it was my pillow. It was sheer hell and I can't imagine it all the time.
My brother has Schizophrenia but don't believe he is ill. What shall I do to help him?
How to help your brother accept his illness... How long was it been when he first learned of his illness? Sometimes one person wouldn't accept the fact that he or she has mental illness. It's normal to deny it, he isn't the only one. Having Schizophrenia can really disable the person's life. Family, friends, a job, social life all are taken away. It's really sad.Be of support to your brother may mean a lot to him later on in his life.In my experience, I have been a survivor of Schizohreia When I was 19, I learned that I had Schizophrenia. I denied accepting that for the first 5 years. I didn't understand it. I didn't want to have everything in life taken from me. I didn't want to take meds everyday for the rest of my life. I was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. But now I'm in my mid 40's, I now have Schizoaffective Disorder. Meaning I have Schizophrenia and Bipolar combined. I accepted the curse of not having a life I deserve. I just live the best I can. God has helped me in many ways.I hope you can find a way to help your brother accept his illness, and share the fact that he's not the only one.