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We need help

Luna6Casual Contributor26 Oct 2019, 12:02 am AEDT

We need help

Hi everyone,

Just trying to get advice on how we can get our 27yo brother to seek professional help as we are fearful of his mental state.

His behaviour is aggressive, with multiple verbal & physical interactions and texts that are sent with hateful & hurtful messages. There have also been instances where he has threatened to harm us.

We have tried to ignore him, speak to him and get our parents to try to speak to him, but it seems like whatever we do it just enrages him and he lashes out. He has trouble controlling his emotions. He has been physcially and emotionally abused as a child and may have been bullied and isolated during his school life.

Our question is, how do we get him to see a professional when he does not believe that he has a problem? How do others get their loved ones the help they need?

Thank you.

3 replies

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In response to: We need help

BunniekinsSenior Contributor26 Oct 2019, 2:11 am AEDT

Re: We need help

@Luna6 Hi Luna6 and welcome to the forums. As your brother is an adult the only way besides him going to his gp to get help (which you say he wont do as he doesnt think he has a problem) is for you to call the police if you are feeling threatened. It is unacceptable for you to put up with this kind of behaviour from your brother, but more so if he can be taken to a hospital to be assessed he might be placed into a mental health unit for observation for a period of time and then the process of assessment can begin.

Again though you cannot force your brother into receiving help that can only come from doctors who are treating him.....

Again if he threatens either yourself or your parents the police should be called immediately. He wont like it but you have to protect yourselves and more so if he did harm you or your parents he would never forgive himself so you are in fact doing him a big favour in the long run.

I hope this helps. Good luck pea.xx

In response to: Re: We need help

Luna6Casual Contributor26 Oct 2019, 10:16 am AEDT

Re: We need help

Thanks for the reply Greenpea and in particular the validation of our concerns. It's helpful to know that this behaviour shouldn't be accepted when for so long our family has just accepted it thinking he will grow out of it.

As much as we do feel threatened, part of the issue is we feel like we've failed as a family to help him and by calling police we are worried that it will give him further excuse to act out aggressive behaviour. We've removed ourselves from our parents home and have informed our parents on what they should do, but they're still in denial that he has an issue, and see him as just being an immature adult and that he only needs to find a girlfriend and that will solve everything (immigrant way of thinking).

In response to: Re: We need help

BunniekinsSenior Contributor27 Oct 2019, 4:57 pm AEDT

Re: We need help

@Luna6 Hey Luna6 you have done the right thing moving away..... gets you out of the firing line so to speak. I can guarantee you your problem will be sorted one way or another..... keep close to your parents and should he threaten you or them in any way you would be doing him a favour in the long run calling the police. He wont like it but his behaviour should not be tolerated for his own sake as well as your own. Can you imagine how he would feel if he really did carry through with the threats. I speak from experience. My son2 has schizophrenia and we went through hell for 6 years when his illness was acute. We had the police on speed dial and he was in and out of hospital. Now he is stable and happy well medicated with only a few ups and downs.

Take good care of yourself and let us know how you go. Love peax

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