schizophrenia?

Question

what do you think should be done when a zchizophrenic refuses to take any type of medication?
serious answers please.my uncle has schizophrenia and he refuses to take medications and i get scared sometimes because he gets violent.

Answer 1

have him commited whether he likes it or not

Answer 2

If you live in the United States, there are mental health programs like ACT Teams that can be of assistance. Many places also have Assisted Outpatient Treatment court orders for people who are medication non-compliant & violent. Try contacting your local mental health system or groups like the Mental Health Association (www.nmha.org). Good luck to you & to your uncle!

Answer 3

It depends on the state that you are in. In some states, they require someone to take medication despite the fact that they may not want to because if they don't they are a danger to themselves and others. Having read the other answers, I would advise you to be aware of when he is becoming psychotic and call either a crisis worker or the police. They can have him committed since he cannot care for himself when he has decompensated (it is called being blue papered, a judge needs to sign off on it and a hospital needs to agree to take him in for monitoring and stabilization.).

Answer 4

If he is a danger to himself or others, a person can try to commit him. It's a long process, and you may not be the person legally able to do it... Talk to social worker, or police.

Do not stay in a location with a threat of violence!

Complicated question. Seek professional advice.

Answer 5

I have a brother who has this illness and I know what you are experiencing. It is hard when your loved one stops taking his meds. The laws as they are written today prevent a loved one from doing anything medically necessary for someone who is ill, regardless of past history. It is very frustrating. You feel like your hands are tied. You are helpless and have to sit back and watch as they hurt themselves or someone else.

If you ever want to chat, contact me.

Answer 6

all you can do is try telling him how important it is for him to take it. if dangerous situations start to take place when he is psychotic, then call the cops and have him taken to the local mental health facility. just tell the cops he is dangerous and not taking his medication. the only real way for people like this to learn that they need their medication is for repeat negative consequences that come from not taking it

Answer 7

I cannot answer that question...I don't know how.


But as a card carrying schizophrenic...this what I have to say on the rest of your question...


when confronted with your uncle and you have nowhere to go...

1. Place yourself beside your uncle rather than face-to-face. The side-by-side position tends to deflect the paranoid fears away from you. Instead, both you and your uncle are looking out at the (hostile) world together. This positioning technique may improve the chances that you will form a working relationship with him. Don't stand directly in front of him. That may be considered confrontational.

2. Avoid direct eye contact. Direct eye contact often makes a paranoid individual feel even more so. Look elsewhere.

3. Speak Indirectly. Avoid speaking directly your uncle. Substitute pronouns such as "it", "he", "she" or "they" for the words "I" and "you". Like the body positioning, the purpose is to deflect his paranoid projections away from one-on-one interactions with self. Instead, paranoid symptoms are directed towards external and more general "real world" issues.

4. Identify with, rather than fight, him. Whenever possible, your attitudes and emotional expressions should parallel his attitudes and expressions. The goal is to help him feel understood. Meet anger with reciprocal anger, frustration with frustration (i.e., you also express anger and frustration with the difficult circumstances). Your own emotional expressions should be taken up to the point of, and perhaps slightly beyond, the consumer's own emotional expression to show you're on his side. A paranoid individual is not thinking rationally and your attempts to rationalize will not likely be successful.

5. Don't rationalize. Share mistrust. The intuitive approach with a paranoid person is to try to persuade him to be more trusting. It is often better to do the opposite; that is, for you - along with your uncle - to mistrust the world together. No attempt is made to correct or contradict the consumer, or to test reality. Temporarily, your uncle's account of reality is accepted as reality. The assumption behind this technique is that, in the midst of a paranoid state, your uncle is overburdened and overwhelmed by a mixture of real-life stresses and distress from psychotic symptoms. While carefully avoiding collusion with the psychotic symptoms, you should attempt to find certain believable or credible aspects of the paranoid belief system. This allows you to agree with him on something.

6. Postpone Psychoeducation.

your uncle in the midst of a paranoid state often cannot tolerate psychoeducation, as he is unable to acknowledge to others the existence of a psychotic illness. Rather, he will deny the illness and blame others for his or her difficulties. Until he is back in meds...strengthened, and the paranoia lessened, no attempt should be made to identify, correct, or argue with him especially while he is violent...paranoid or delusional .

This is ONLY for whern you are cornered and he is psychotic. This is not a treatment plan. and you are not his saviour. This is for your protection.

I suggest keeping a diary of your visits with your uncle...and one for yourself...to record your feelings..your anger at him...fear of him...and how this triggers moods like anxiety when it is time to go visit him. Your feelings are important and need to be adressed as such.

Finally educate yourself...there are many forums online for family members dealing with schizophrenics...avail yourself...find people such as yourself and network with them...

Peace and blessings...

Answer 8

i think you should call authorities in mental health, for that fact, even the law enforcement stating that you are concerned about a person who suffers from mental illness and refuses treatment. state that he is a danger to himself, and everyone around him. get on it quickly before something bad happens. good luck!!

Answer 9

Talk to others in the same situation for tips and advice.
http://www.schizophrenia.com/

Answer 10

Stay away from him, you don't have much else of a choice.