Could I get advice from those of you who interact regularly with the severely mentally ill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what state does your sister live in?

+1

DMH or NAMI can give you helpful information. I suspect there is no "detective", and that she or they are being taken advantage of. You are a good sister to help, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You can call the DC mental health crisis mobile unit and they'll come out and evaluate her. If she becomes belligerent, well that's a way to get her hospitalized in the short-term. It would also be a way to explore this "detective" issue, whether it's a delusion or a fraud.

When was she diagnosed? Is there any room to follow up there? Is she entirely unmedicated? How do you feel about a well visit from some authority, the police or health services? Is she without a social worker, even though she's receiving benefits? Could you contact her social worker?

This is tough stuff, OP. Take care of yourself, and stay safe.

I haven't dealt with it but this all sounds reasonable.

Yes, take care of yourself OP. I cannot imagine how rough this would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful about the police, too. They don't always know how to deal with mentally ill people and sometimes can hurt or kill them.

OP here. Yes. I am worried about this. My sister is not violent at all. She has never been physical. However, she is very verbally aggressive and belligerent and I don't think the police are trained to deal with people like that.

Does anyone have any ideas about what I can say to her to gain her trust? Perhaps I should see a psychologist who deals with these illnesses.

Maybe if she is belligerent with the police they will force her to a hospital. Not necessarily a bad thing, no?

Bad idea.

+1 It's a bad idea and they may not even come out unless there is an active disturbance of some kind. The police are not trained to deal with severe mental illness and, very sadly, will shoot first if they think the person is going to lash out at them.

[Anonymous]

Are you willing to pay a psychiatric social worker to be a liaison between you and your sister? I did that to deal with my sister, but my sister was getting some help. In the end I swore out a complaint against her for phone harassment with the police. She didn't show up for the court date and then got picked up on a bench warrant and put in jail. I worked with the social worker and the court to require her to meet certain standards and then I would not pursue the case. It is only because of this harassment case I had against her was I able to get anything done. So hope your sister breaks the law and becomes involved with the legal system. (BTW, my sister is schizoaffective disorder --bipolar + schizo. )

But at the time I was also paying her bills (with our father's money), so I had money over her too.

[Anonymous]

There is no way to rationalize with an irrational person

The only effort you should be making, that's worth any effort at all, is doing all you can legally to get her committed (and therefore help)

[Anonymous]

Agree, go to the police about this scammer. See if there is a detective who specializes in elder fraud; this is basically the same deal.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thank you for all of the advice. I cannot get my sister committed. I have tried all avenues. I called the police when she severed the cable wiring of her apartment building because the stalkers were spying through the wiring. After that incident she was committed to a hospital for a 48-hour evaluation and then released when the doctors determined she was not a threat to herself or anyone else. I have spoken to social workers, medical people, everyone I can think of. She was arrested twice for violating a restraining order that one of her boyfriends had taken out on her. She is always released. I accompanied her to court for one of the restraining order hearings. She was extremely loud, rude, belligerent and uncooperative in court. From my perspective it was abundantly obvious that she was mentally ill, but all charges were dropped and she was released.

My sister lives in Canada, where people are much less likely to get locked up for any reason.

I like the idea of the psychiatric social worker. I have never heard of that profession. Someone like that might be helpful. The problem is that as soon as anyone suggests that she is sick, she immediately distrusts that person.

[Anonymous]

I think contacting a Canadian equivalent to NAMI for help navigating the legal and social services system there might be helpful. The book I'm not sick, I don't need help might be useful. It's about how to pursuade someone with a severe mental illness with delusions to accept help. Take good care of yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think contacting a Canadian equivalent to NAMI for help navigating the legal and social services system there might be helpful. The book I'm not sick, I don't need help might be useful. It's about how to pursuade someone with a severe mental illness with delusions to accept help. Take good care of yourself.

Thank you.
-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful about the police, too. They don't always know how to deal with mentally ill people and sometimes can hurt or kill them.

OP here. Yes. I am worried about this. My sister is not violent at all. She has never been physical. However, she is very verbally aggressive and belligerent and I don't think the police are trained to deal with people like that.

Does anyone have any ideas about what I can say to her to gain her trust? Perhaps I should see a psychologist who deals with these illnesses.

Maybe if she is belligerent with the police they will force her to a hospital. Not necessarily a bad thing, no?

Bad idea.

+1 It's a bad idea and they may not even come out unless there is an active disturbance of some kind. The police are not trained to deal with severe mental illness and, very sadly, will shoot first if they think the person is going to lash out at them.

+1

No kidding. The police can't even handle the public properly. How the hell are the police going to handle someone who needs extra attention?

[Anonymous]

Any chance there are more options for mental health care in Canada?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree, go to the police about this scammer. See if there is a detective who specializes in elder fraud; this is basically the same deal.

You are kidding, right?

[Anonymous]

OP, have you read the book "I'm not Sick I don't need help"

[Anonymous]

Second the "I m not sick" book talks about how to communicate w people with severe mental illness. The author is Xavier Amador.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any chance there are more options for mental health care in Canada?

Doubtful, it sucks here too.

OP, where is your sister? Which province?