Forced treatment rarely possible

August 10, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I desperately need information on how to get a mentally ill relative to seek treatment. He and his family immigrated to the United States in October 2009. I believe he had issues before they came here, but the new environment and pressure of living here finally caused him to buckle. Two months ago he started intensely interrogating his wife about her hundreds of alleged affairs and other non-existent events. Since then it has become a daily ritual of verbal and sometimes physical abuse against his wife.

I live 300 miles away and have tried to talk to him over the phone. He exploded when I mentioned he should see a doctor.
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Parent can speak to physician

July 23, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read the letter from the parent of a mentally ill adult daughter who wrote to you. The daughter was hospitalized but refused to allow the parent to be involved in her care. Your response was good, but there was one bit of information you might have suggested that could be enormously helpful to the parent and daughter.

Although the daughter’s caregivers cannot legally provide information to the parent, they are not prevented from hearing background information provided by the parent.
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NAMI excellent resource on mental illness

May 31, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Many of us have lived the frustration of trying to get help for a mentally ill adult daughter. Because the brain is the dysfunctioning organ in this illness, the person has no insight into the condition and, thus, refuses to help. Most mentally ill people know how to “shape up” when appearing before a judge so it’s difficult to have the person deemed a “danger to themselves or others,” which is the criteria for forced treatment in most states. The tragic part is the fine line between dangerous and non-dangerous and, way too often, the first evidence that would enable this classification causes death or injury to an innocent person or a mentally ill person. I would recommend that parents attend a support group in their area for families of the mentally ill. A good place to start is www.NAMI.org.
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Mentally ill daughter keeps parents at bay

August 26, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: We have a 33-year-old daughter who is mentally ill. She has currently gone off her meds and is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. She will likely be transported to a state facility. She has refused to sign the paper allowing us to converse with her doctors and caregivers, although we are the only people she has. It is not our desire to control her, but it is our wish to be sure that she is safe and to let those who are caring for her know there is someone out there who still loves her. How can we work with this system that allows her to be her own guardian when she is incapable of even caring for herself?

DEAR READER: This is a serious dilemma. Your daughter is an adult at 33. I don’t know how serious her condition is and how much outside assistance, if any, she requires. [Read more...]

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Reader offers helpful website for childhood mental illness

July 18, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I was delighted to see you mention the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in a recent column. Along that line, please tell your readers about the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, www.bpkids.org. This is a national nonprofit organization that offers a wealth of information and support for families who have children diagnosed with bipolar disorder or who suspect a child has the disorder though not diagnosed.

DEAR READER: Consider it done.

The Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation is, in its words, “a national, parent-led, web-based, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization incorporated in 1999.” The nonprofit also states that its mission is to improve the lives of families raising children and teens living with bipolar disorder and related condition.

Most people don’t realize that mental illness can strike children and teens just as it can adults. As difficult as it may be for an adult to understand and cope with the situation, it may be doubly hard for a child who also has the daily stresses of social, school and family pressures, not to mention the simple act of growing up, which causes immense changes in mood, hormones and more.

Thank you for writing to bring this organization to my attention. Mental illness needs to be brought out of the dark ages and into the light. Sufferers need compassion and understanding just as those with physical illnesses do.

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Schizophrenia needs proper medical treatment

April 18, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My sister and I are caring for both our mother and a sister who has schizophrenia. Unfortunately, this sister is in the last stages of our being able to care for her at home. She refuses to take her medicines and has become totally unmanageable. Our mother refuses to consider making a commitment one way or another about her and instead reads your column. She uses it as the final word on my sister’s illness. It is all we can do to hang on because of the verbally abusive behavior and her sudden physical violence. Please, Dr. Gott, don’t write any more columns about cures for mental illness.

DEAR READER: Upon reading your letter, I felt to compelled to answer it quickly despite your protest. I have never offered a cure in regards to any type of mental illness. In fact, most forms of mental disease are not curable, but many are treatable if the patient is compliant. [Read more...]

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