My brother is 32 and has either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. He has been sick for over 8 years. It started out as headaches and what he called “brain fog,” and I think in an attempt to figure out what was wrong, he started questioning his physical health. He has been to so many doctors and has had thousands of tests, but almost everything comes back normal. Yet he refuses to believe it, and has an excuse for everything. When the dr’s don’t find anything it’s because they’re incompetent and lazy, and we haven’t found the right one. He has gotten violent with my mom and hounds her and I everyday, saying that we abandoned him and if only we listened and found “the” doctor, he would be healthy by now.
I don’t know what to do. There is no talking to him about any of this. His mind is so made up that he “moved something in his chest.” I have Dr Amador’s book and I tried rebuilding a relationship with him, which only lasts a few days (if that) until he turns it around on me and blames me for him being sick. He desperately WANTS to get better, but he refuses to believe it is anything “mental,” only physical.
I don’t know how to help him. I think assisted or involuntary treatment is the way to go, but I don’t know how to go about doing that. He has threatened suicide in the past, as well as my parents lives, but not much comes out of it. He knows how to work the system once he’s in. I guess the only difference is that usually took place in IL and now he is in MA.