I’ve lived with having a mentally ill brother for as long as I can remember. I know there has been a medical diagnosis of something at some point but would never dream of asking because everything has always been either my fault or none of my business. He no longer sees a doctor for whatever it is & likely only ever did briefly. As we’re both grown adults now, I’ve severed all ties because he’s so toxic and awful with no wish to seek help. Recently I’ve been sent some horrible emails. Vile. Letting me know he won’t be attending my funeral etc. I haven’t engaged but he & our mom stay in touch. He likes to threaten & who knows what he could be capable of. Where we live, we don’t have involuntary admission to help get him any help, it’s strictly voluntary. Anyway, from what I’ve read, it sounds so familiar & I’m curious to know if this sounds like it to any of you & if you have any advice at all.
-extremely paranoid about everyone talking behind his back.
-brings up petty things that hurt him from decades ago, blowing up into rages.
-always smells of b.o. & doesn’t seem to be bothered.
-has times of speaking a million miles a minute & needs all focus on him.
-extremely immature.
-times of depression but never shares his feelings.
-has never held down a job, finished a course, met a goal.
-HATES all authority.
-tends to get attracted to drugs more often than not.
-creates messes everywhere he goes, room to room.
-cannot handle any eye contact.
-doesn’t sit still, not even long enough to share a meal.
-inappropriate & socially awkward.
Thank you for any advice you may have, mainly to pass on to my mom to keep her safe.
Sounds like he does have some sort of a mental illness. My uncle is 49 and still lives with his 72 year old mother due to his schizophrenia. He has been diagnosed since his early 30’s. All symptoms seem to be pretty similar to the symptoms my uncle has experienced previously and am experiencing. Therapy or in-patient treatment (mental hopsital) would be the BEST option. My uncle had an episode and put a gun to his girlfriend’s head. To be safe- in-patient treatment would be the absolute BEST, but therapy would be beneficial if in-patient treatment isn’t an option.
This sounds like he is bipolar. My husband’s Aunt had all the same symptoms and she was diagnosed bipolar, but I am not a doctor. Too bad he won’t get help. All you can do is try to get him help or wait until he does something that warrants involuntary admission such as harming himself or others. Besides it being sad that our loved ones have this mental illness, it’s even worse when you can’t get them the help they need. I wish you the best of luck.
This sounds like my son when hes not medicated - and some of the behaviour happens when he is but not so bad. He has sz. He is not nice to his brother either. I can only advise you and your mom to remember these are the illness if he has sz and yr brother cant help it. As relatives it is so hard but yr mom should call police if she feels at all under threat and tell them he is a risk to others or himself. Dont hesitate, we have to think of not only our own welfare but what will happen to your brother if he harms someone.
So sorry for you all. Wishing you the best.
It sounds like something on the spectrum (it could be bipolar, schizophrenia, or something similar - only a psychiatrist can tell for sure.
Try to get him to go with you to see a psychiatrist or psychologist - find something that he can agree with you to see him about - it might be sleep issues, or stress, or anxiety or depression or not feeling good… just get him in there, prewarn the psychiatrist and share a much as you can with the psychiatrist before hand.
Here are some resources - do you have other family members that can help you. Educate everyone, and keep a journal about your brother’s behaviors and beliefs so that you can share it with the mental health professionals.
I agree with Ginger. Sounds more like bi-polar but I’m certainly no doctor it could be schizophrenia. Here is a good site for bi-polar (I used it when I thought my son was bi-polar) What Is Bipolar Disorder? | bpHope.com Julie Fast is a good person to read. She has bi-polar but lectures and writes on the topic. She also does consulting - may even be free. Likely, your brother says he is fine is my guess. http://www.juliefast.com/
Ha, you guessed it. He’s perfectly fine. It’s totally normal to give up housing to go wander in the forest or sleep in the mountains every couple seasons (usually in the winter because sleeping in a tent on a mountain is typical). All authority are out to get him & everyone spends all their time talking about him. eye roll
