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Schizophrenic(?) brother starving himself

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Schizophrenic(?) brother starving himself

Postby nordix » Sat Oct 14, 2023 9:03 pm

My brother in his 40s has apparently had paranoia for years, although I only realized how serious it was in recent months. He'd strangely left jobs over the years and maybe there were other signs I didn't notice. In recent months, he sold his house and moved in with our parents. He's talked about people sneaking around and messing with his life and framing him. He's afraid that electronics around him are always being hacked and that things are bugged. He said someone was drawing on his arm while he slept but the ink disappeared. He's previously blamed a former neighbor or the Chinese government for things. But now, he won't talk to us about it because he says, "there'd be consequences." We've generally tried to be positive and supportive to him, rather than denying the reality of all of this, but we can't get him to talk to a professional.

In recent weeks, he's almost stopped eating entirely. He's lost an extreme amount of weight and his parents and siblings are extremely concerned about him. He's a devout Christian, so maybe he feels direct suicide is wrong but that this is ok. I tried contacting adult protective services and the state crisis line, but they only seemed concerned if he were violent or something. He has no insurance.

Any advice would be appreciated.
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Re: Schizophrenic(?) brother starving himself

Postby 2ost » Thu Dec 21, 2023 3:03 pm

No advice, sorry. Hope you found a solution already?

PS if he don't want to speak with a (psychiatric) professional but indeed is a devout christian … maybe a priest can bring him to a point to seek and accept help? Since theologians are often used to be trained in (religious) care of souls as well.
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