Neighbor is unmediated schizophrenic; anything to do?

[Anonymous]

I'm 15:26 poster.

Families with high net worth have schizophrenics in their gene line just like middle America and lower income families.

Schizophrenics in high net worth neighborhoods will have lawyers on retainer to stop/prevent involuntary hospitalizations and
meds.

[Anonymous]

Nothing you can do but move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there is nothing the next door neighbors can do other than be kind and offer support to the parents.

It is legal for the schizophrenic son to refuse meds. Many of the meds have very, very strong side effects that are much worse than the hallucination symptoms to the schizophrenic.

If the neighbors don't like someone talking to himself in the yard they can move away.

In my state the schizophrenic can be hospitalized for 72 hours involuntarily ONLY IF THEY ARE A DANGER TO THEMSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. Your description does not
meet those standards. Even if the schizophrenic gets meds
when under 72 hour hold they are free to stop the meds
upon release.

It is totally legal to be an untreated schizophrenic in America.

My uncle and brother both had schizophrenia. Both
preferred to be untreated and both had lawyers on call.

How do they pay for their lawyers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, there is nothing the next door neighbors can do other than be kind and offer support to the parents.

It is legal for the schizophrenic son to refuse meds. Many of the meds have very, very strong side effects that are much worse than the hallucination symptoms to the schizophrenic.

If the neighbors don't like someone talking to himself in the yard they can move away.

In my state the schizophrenic can be hospitalized for 72 hours involuntarily ONLY IF THEY ARE A DANGER TO THEMSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. Your description does not
meet those standards. Even if the schizophrenic gets meds
when under 72 hour hold they are free to stop the meds
upon release.

It is totally legal to be an untreated schizophrenic in America.

My uncle and brother both had schizophrenia. Both
preferred to be untreated and both had lawyers on call.

How do they pay for their lawyers?

Family money. I think there are some public resources that will also help for those that are indigent.

[Anonymous]

This is crazy. Singapore doesn’t tolerate this BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sad situation-young neighbor (late 20s)--went to college, moved home, never launched and is now suffering from schizophrenia. Spends the days outside, screaming, talking, howling , etc. Lives with elderly parents. My understanding is he is unmedicated.
I see it but don't hear the behavior because I'm a few houses away. next door neighbors are concerned-they have young kids who are outside daily. This is a Bethesda-like neighborhood.

Anything we can do? Should we be concerned? Anyone have experience with something similar.
Thank you!

Teach your kids that mental illness is part of the human experience in society. Teach your kids that those with mental illness have the option to go to the doctor but many don't like the side effects of the drugs. Most likely when the young male was first diagnosed he would have been put on heavy drugs.
That is the norm in our society.

Provide a lot of neighborhood support to the parents. It is horrible to have schizophrenics in a family. Be nice and kind to the parents.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Up until this year my son was a typical college student. He moved home after his second year, and I fear he will never launch. This could happen to any of your children, it certainly came out of the blue for us (no trauma or family history).

We (he, my spouse and I, plus his psychiatrist) are doing everything we can to find the right balance of medications and therapy. It's such a difficult road, you cannot even imagine. The vast majority of those diagnosed with a severe mental illness are no harm to you, your family or your neighborhood.

My brother turned 18 before my parents could help him and he will not allow him to have any access to his care. It is very sad and frustrating. (Unfortunately he uses THC which makes the situation worse). If you can, have your son add you on all of his medical forms as a recipient/decision maker now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy. Singapore doesn’t tolerate this BS.

What BS exactly? Because Singapore has schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and suicide just like the rest of the world.

Look, they even have a mobile crisis team, just like Montgomery County.
https://www.samhealth.org.sg/our-services/outreach/samh-mobile-support-team/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sad situation-young neighbor (late 20s)--went to college, moved home, never launched and is now suffering from schizophrenia. Spends the days outside, screaming, talking, howling , etc. Lives with elderly parents. My understanding is he is unmedicated.
I see it but don't hear the behavior because I'm a few houses away. next door neighbors are concerned-they have young kids who are outside daily. This is a Bethesda-like neighborhood.

Anything we can do? Should we be concerned? Anyone have experience with something similar.
Thank you!

Are you in Fairfax County or Falls Church City?
If so you can call their crisis line, describe what is going on and they will be able to answer all your questions, including at what point this would merit a wellness check for this young man and/or elderly parents.

Fairfax Co Crisis line is worthless. They did nothing for my schizophrenic sibling. NOTHING.

[Anonymous]

After decades in the criminal justice system and very extensive experience with seriously mentally ill people, I can share that statistically speaking it is exceedingly rare that a floridly psychotic individual perpetrates a violent crime. It is much more (overwhelmingly) likely that they become a victim of violent crime either due to their inability to protect themselves from those who would mean them harm or because some nosey Parker calls law enforcement on them and they end up dead by ignorant cop.

Statistically speaking the neighbor kids have more to fear from their own family members than from a schizophrenic neighbor. The adults in the neighborhood have more to fear from their spouses or partners or exes than from a schizophrenic neighbor.

As a coincidence, on my way home from an errand this morning I was stopped at a light and saw a floridly psychotic person having an animated conversation with imaginary friends at the roadside. I felt no fear. I recalled what my grandmother always told me when we would see someone different like that out in public. Touched by God, she would tell me. These are the people God sends among us to test our compassion and character. Would you pass?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 15:26 poster.

Families with high net worth have schizophrenics in their gene line just like middle America and lower income families.

Schizophrenics in high net worth neighborhoods will have lawyers on retainer to stop/prevent involuntary hospitalizations and
meds.

What?!? No way, that’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. I guarantee you those families are going crazy trying anything and everything under the sun in an effort to get their family member medicated…believe it or not, it’s really really hard to have an adult involuntarily committed, and pretty impossible to get them to take medication daily when they don’t believe they need it. Trust me; those families would (…and sometimes do) pay BIG $$ trying to get their child help, but when it’s an adult you’re dealing with there is frustratingly little you can do. Picture what OP is describing, and then picture that behavior in your own house, day in and day out, often directed AT you…it’s exhausting. No chance any sane family of ANY income level is hiring resources to KEEP their schizophrenic/psychotic child from being medicated, I can guarantee that. In case not obvious I speak from experience, but it is actually really hard to force an adult to get help - the bar for involuntary psychiatric holds, even a short 72 hour one, is frustratingly high (…and I’m not saying there aren’t good reasons for that). But I read OP’s description of her neighbor and feel soo much pity for his poor parents. I’m quite sure they’re tried everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sad situation-young neighbor (late 20s)--went to college, moved home, never launched and is now suffering from schizophrenia. Spends the days outside, screaming, talking, howling , etc. Lives with elderly parents. My understanding is he is unmedicated.
I see it but don't hear the behavior because I'm a few houses away. next door neighbors are concerned-they have young kids who are outside daily. This is a Bethesda-like neighborhood.

Anything we can do? Should we be concerned? Anyone have experience with something similar.
Thank you!

Are you in Fairfax County or Falls Church City?
If so you can call their crisis line, describe what is going on and they will be able to answer all your questions, including at what point this would merit a wellness check for this young man and/or elderly parents.

Fairfax Co Crisis line is worthless. They did nothing for my schizophrenic sibling. NOTHING.

Same here. Sooo frustrating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After decades in the criminal justice system and very extensive experience with seriously mentally ill people, I can share that statistically speaking it is exceedingly rare that a floridly psychotic individual perpetrates a violent crime. It is much more (overwhelmingly) likely that they become a victim of violent crime either due to their inability to protect themselves from those who would mean them harm or because some nosey Parker calls law enforcement on them and they end up dead by ignorant cop.

Statistically speaking the neighbor kids have more to fear from their own family members than from a schizophrenic neighbor. The adults in the neighborhood have more to fear from their spouses or partners or exes than from a schizophrenic neighbor.

As a coincidence, on my way home from an errand this morning I was stopped at a light and saw a floridly psychotic person having an animated conversation with imaginary friends at the roadside. I felt no fear. I recalled what my grandmother always told me when we would see someone different like that out in public. Touched by God, she would tell me. These are the people God sends among us to test our compassion and character. Would you pass?

+1000

Call the cops so maybe he gets shot? Any chance he’s black too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After decades in the criminal justice system and very extensive experience with seriously mentally ill people, I can share that statistically speaking it is exceedingly rare that a floridly psychotic individual perpetrates a violent crime. It is much more (overwhelmingly) likely that they become a victim of violent crime either due to their inability to protect themselves from those who would mean them harm or because some nosey Parker calls law enforcement on them and they end up dead by ignorant cop.

Statistically speaking the neighbor kids have more to fear from their own family members than from a schizophrenic neighbor. The adults in the neighborhood have more to fear from their spouses or partners or exes than from a schizophrenic neighbor.

As a coincidence, on my way home from an errand this morning I was stopped at a light and saw a floridly psychotic person having an animated conversation with imaginary friends at the roadside. I felt no fear. I recalled what my grandmother always told me when we would see someone different like that out in public. Touched by God, she would tell me. These are the people God sends among us to test our compassion and character. Would you pass?

+1000

Call the cops so maybe he gets shot? Any chance he’s black too?

No he'd already be locked up. His parents would have been ran out of their Bethesda like neighborhood