My brother (age 44) has had a miserable marriage for years and is now in the middle of a divorce. He and his young son moved in with my mom. Every time I call there, he's "sick and asleep". He sleeps and sleeps and sleeps in a dark bedroom, stumbles to the kitchen to eat whatever he can grab, then falls back into his bed for hours and hours. He holds down a job with crazy hours, so he uses his job as his excuse to be sleeping ALL THE TIME. It's like he crawls out of bed, goes to work, and crawls back to bed.
If anyone tries to talk to him, he gets basically hysterical- he'll literally cry out of control, yell, and run to his room "sick" again, saying to leave him alone, because talking to him is "adding more stress" and he can't take it.
He refuses to see a doctor, yet says he's been "throwing up" for days. He refuses to seek counseling (he doesn't need it he says) and refuses to even come out of his room to be a parent to his child.
How can the family intervene?
2007-03-28 06:24:30 · 8 answers · asked by Sabine É 6 in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
I'm serious- if you try to talk to him, he literally goes HYSTERICAL and cries and it's really weird.
2007-03-28 06:25:40 · update #1
The son is 7 and sees a counselor and is pretty mature- he thinks his parents are acting like idiots, but he's still just a kid.
2007-03-28 06:35:40 · update #2
i work at a psych hospital. sometimes families get involved. this sounds extreme, but you can involuntarily commit him. usually this involve 72 hours of treatment in which he would see a therapist and be evaluated by a psychologist and prescribed medication. to do this you must bring him to the emergency room first and then they would have to place to the right unit/facility if not on site.
Sounds like he is severely depressed and definitely needs help and his irritability could be controlled with mood stabilizing medication.
Even after discharge, further counseling can be arranged. you can even have a family session conducted.
He is minimizing his problems and throwing himself into his work to avoid the situation. he honestly needs to get this depression under control.
where i work I have experienced everything from extreme psychosis and depression, and i work with people that are dealing with bipolar and schizophrenic disorders.
believe me when i say, when they go off of their medication, it only gets worse.
Do what is best for your brother to help him get on with his life again, don't let this continue on if you foresee it getting worse than it already is.
2007-03-28 07:03:43 · answer #1 · answered by love for art 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh wow. What a situation for all of you. How old is his son, and how is he coping?
I would seriously suggest contacting a local professional first. They can take the time to listen to your specifics and come up with a plan. There's general guidelines for intervening, but this isn't the classic drunk or dope fiend...
Poor guy. Best of luck to you and your whole family. It's times like these that make you realize just how important family really is. Even if it's difficult and stressful for you, soon he will be so grateful that you cared.
2007-03-28 13:29:27 · answer #2 · answered by robin0408 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wow, now i'm not a specialist, so i don't know what to tell you. Maybe you could call a crisis center in your neighborhood and they could give you advice and/or help. Whatever you do, don't give up! Don't let anything he says upset you or cause you to lose perspective of what you're trying to achieve. He sounds like he's extremely depressed and in denial of it, so he may say things that are hurtful to you just to try and get you to go away. He doesn't really mean them.
Here is a number my counselor gave me, maybe they can help you. Good Luck.
Behavioral Health Response
open 24 hours a day
1-800-811-4760
they have counselors on staff 24 hours a day to help with anything.
2007-03-28 13:35:15 · answer #3 · answered by krazyshadowkat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he won't talk, and he won't get help there is nothing you can do then short of committing him. Realize they may be able to committ him (especially if he carries on like you say - that will be enough to committ him) but the hospital or mental health facility that he is taken to can only keep him 3 days on a committed check-in UNLESS the hospital staff finds just cause to keep him - which would be that he is a threat to himself or to others. Merely being depressed is not enough to hold him, but if they feel he is suicidal they will. Good luck.
2007-03-28 13:35:13 · answer #4 · answered by svmainus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it sounds like he is at the point of needing therapy. maybe some medication but be careful with that. once you let some pills in it can start a cycle and dependancy.
his world may be dark and cold right now, but he needs to take it one day at a time. recovering from depression is a long road. he may not have even hit bottom yet.
my mother was depressed for like 3 years. she couldn't even get the mail. she came around with therapy and medication, but she's not quite the same.
2007-03-28 13:36:26 · answer #5 · answered by Diggy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you are beyond an intervention. You should consider getting him declared mentally incompetent and put into a treatment facility.
2007-03-28 13:30:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't really know but you can get him the doctor while at work or while he is sleeping.
I'm realy sorry for him and his son hope that won't be for long!
2007-03-28 13:31:40 · answer #7 · answered by red rose 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would have a doctor come to him.. house calls are sorta pricey, but i personally would pay to have him helped.. especially if you care for him..
2007-03-28 13:31:04 · answer #8 · answered by Gabby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋