My Brother: A 30 year old Schizophrenic off Medicine




DOUG'S STORY

Sometimes I want to just shake him and scream, "Don't you know? You don't have to be like this!" He is so lonely, so profoundly isolated from all that exists outside the cacophony in his skull. He has no friends, almost no human connection with anyone at all. He often imagines he smells horrible odors and sees vomit covering the television, his stereo, the carpet, his shoes.

 

Conversations with him go like this: "Kansas, you know Kansas is actually in Dallas, because there is the road, and then you're in Texas and that's why Texas sports teams are so good. Never buy Campbell's. Chunky soup is really important. Never buy Campbell's."

 

But once upon a time, he was just my big brother who liked to tease me and taught me to water-ski and wanted to be an accountant. Now I barely remember that person.

 

And there is nothing we can do about it - we have no way to force him to get help. If a person with schizophrenia refuses to take medication, the only recourse is to have him or her involuntarily committed. But you can only do that by proving the person is a danger to him or herself or others.

 

I think we would have my brother committed if we could, and we watch for symptoms that would make this possible, but so far, he is just plain-old insane, not violent or dangerous. The system can only intervene when something goes terribly wrong, if Doug tries to harm himself or attacks my parents or a stranger. All we can do is wait for the crisis.




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