Question by Muse – Viktor’s Mommy: Mental health care in Georgia?
I have a brother who is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and is also bipolar. He had a psychotic episode back in the beginning of the summer when he took ecstasy; it caused a bad chemical reaction which made him have to be hospitalized in the mental health ward of the local medical college here. After a week of being there, he was released.

Ever since then, he’s gotten progressively worse. In the past two and a half months alone, he’s overdosed twice (nearly dying the first time). He’s spent about $ 8000 on prescription medication (obtained illegally through “friends”) and crack cocaine, as well as using his Internal Medicine doctor to get prescriptions for vast amounts of Clonopin and such.

He’s been put in a drug rehab facility twice and the “regular” hospital once in the past two months. The other night, he flew into a rage, stole medicine from my parents (morphine, soma, etc.), and physically attacked my father. He also verbally threatened to physically hurt the rest of
the family. We called the police on him, and he attempted to hop over the back fence to escape. The police officer caught up with him and found him stuffing the pills he’d stolen in his mouth. The police took him to the medical college to be checked out and then back to the same drug rehab place.

Yesterday, he flew into another rage (after he hung up on my mom on the phone after threatening her) and attacked an orderly at the place and was sent to GEorgia Regional. Today, the “doctor” there calls us and says they are going to send him home today or tomorrow because he is now “calm” and is a “drug case”.

Is there any way we can keep this from happening? Are there any facilities in Georgia or SC that will keep someone like him for longterm treatment? Please, any information would be helpful.
If he comes back home, I’m certain that he’ll either hurt himself or one of us. He has no friends he can stay with or any other family that would take him in.
My mother has full guardianship over him because he is unable to take care of himself. He has a borderline IQ of 70 and wouldn’t know how to check himself into a detox unit if he wanted to. He’s been in and out of rehabilitation facilities and mental health programs since he was 12 years-old.

He’s been IN detox/rehab, and each time they sent him home after only three days because they thought he was over the drug part and had to go somewhere else for the mental help. When the doctor from Georgia Regional called earlier, they said they couldn’t keep him because he’s a drug case, even though he’s a violent diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and such.

He doesn’t have the option of coming back home; we won’t let him even if he is released. That’s why I’m asking for any ideas of places that will take him without turfing him to another facility for a bogus reason. :-\

Best answer:

Answer by Alissa
Your brother has classic addict symptoms. He needs to go to a detox center, a rehab and then to a halfway house. Unfortunatey he has to check himself in. 8 grand is a lot of money, did he steal it.

Regarding your family, you need to start to kick him out, stop helping him. You all are enablers if you allow this treatment to go on. You can say he is schizophrenic or bipolar but he is a drug addict plain and simple. Tough love is your only option until he gets himslef help

Have to tried a halfway houses? You could also press charges on him so he can go to jail. They could put him in the medical ward and possibly get him the treatment he needs. Although, that is not the best option Have you tried any private facilities. If you say he is as bad as he is I’m surprised the hospital isn’t keeping

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