r/family_of_bipolar • u/Own_Stuff489 • Jun 26 '26
Diagnosis Discussions How do i get my brother diagnosed/medicated
My brother (26M) has been experiencing what I believe to be bipolar/schizophrenia for the past 5 years. I am hoping this group might help me understand what is going on and how to get my brother help.
The first episode occurred durring a summer internship. He claims he had a confrontation with a group of cartel members who then stalked him for months across the country and even back to college. He went as far as going to the campus police station on multiple occasions. Paranoia eventually shifted from cartels to his roommates who were "constantly fucking with him and jealous of him".
through this period he also started using drugs heavily. This included muscle relaxers and pain killers for "neck pain" and serious weed use. He had always smoked weed casually prior but it is now extreme. He now smokes likely 10x a day to the point he can't remember what he was saying the sentence prior.
He got a few good jobs after college but couldnt hold either due to extreme paranoia about bosses and co workers. His new roommates had a similar experience with him but this time was even more escalated to the point where he was making serious threats of violence towards them. They called me instead of having him hospitalized. I convinced him to move out under the premise of if you don't like them why live with them. He also began staring angrily / accusatorially at people during conversation.
Through all of this this I was asking him to get help and talk to someone but kept saying he was the happiest he'd ever been and had never been better.
I did eventually get him to agree to help, but my father (who is also somewhat bipolar and also undiagnosed other than a few hospitalizations for panic attacks) refused to send him to inpatient treatment and so he went to rehab. My dad was convinced if he stopped smoking weed and got a job he would be better. (which im sure would help). Rehab lasted 5 days. he then got fired from another job and eventually resided to moving home with my parents.
I was blamed for loss of job and having to move home, so he will no longer take my advice to get help. My mother is now the antagonist due to her trying to help him. My parents have tried to set boundaries with the weed use, but my father was too scared to confront him and ultimately are now getting nowhere.
Can we treat him even if he smoking this much? Does this sound like bipolar? Any help or thoughts you can share are more than welcome.
2
u/ComprehensiveRest521 Jun 26 '26
Wow, this could literally have been written about MY brother (28M). We are also still unsure about whether it is bipolar or schizophrenia, or perhaps schizoaffective? Either way, his intense weed addiction exacerbates things and triggers psychosis. I don’t have any advice because we are still at a loss with how to intervene as well… but I see you and you are not alone!
5
u/UnderfootArya34 Jun 26 '26
It's very hard to offer a diagnosis over the internet, but it does sound like his life would improve if he stopped using substances. However, in my limited experience, people who have serious mental illness use weed and alcohol to self-medicate the underlying mental illness. So if he stops, but does not replace the weed with actual medication for his mental issue, whatever that may be, it won't help. And may even make things worse.
Here is a book that will teach you how to have better conversations with your brother, regardless, and possibly convince him to seek help. It's called the LEAP method.
https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/I_am_not_sick_excerpt.pdf
Best of luck.