Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[Victorina]

Hi there , my names Vic. I'm 28 I'm a single Mum of a 12 year old. I care for my mum but she lives in her own home , she suffers with PTSD & severe depression and isn't uncommon for her to misuse her medication she is 61. 
More recently this week , my brother , 1 year older than myself .. had his first "psychotic episode" ? I'm not sure what to label it yet as he's had major depression for the last 3 - 4 years and seen nobody so it's undiagnosed. There's only so much I can do to get involved with treatment for both Mum & my brother. Too many grey areas apparently ... trust me I've tried everything. My brother went missing for 2 days , I filed a missing persons report with the police and searched the whole of Melbourne. When I finally heard from him , he said he's hiding from people chasing him , in helicopters and on foot and in cars. He thought he was an emperor with a mission to fulfil & much more.  I've never heard anything like it. He came back bruised and bloodied.. he lives with me.
I've read a lot over night and think he may be suffering with schizophrenia. I think the road ahead is long for me , I'm not sure how to bring up seeing the CATT team as he is very very paranoid with everything and to be honest I feel as if I'm betraying his trust 😞 

Any advice would be much appreciated. 
Thank you for this safe space to share my story

[greenpea]

@Victorina  Hi Victorina and welcome to the forums. It sounds to me that your brother is a danger to himself so you will be able to contact the ambulance and with the help (if needed the police) to get him to hospital for him to be properly assessed. I would be keeping him there as long as possible. Explain to his hospital psychiatrist your situation. Your mother should be assessed by a professional a psychologist and psychiatrist. If you make an appointment with your local gp she will be able to access a bomh package is is roughly 10 free sessions with a psychologist.

You are right you cannot do this on your own so if you take these initiatives it will be a good way to start assisting your loved ones. Most of all though you must remember to take good care of yourself and your daughter. Love peax

[Peonies]

Hi @Victorina , 

A very warm welcome to our forums! 

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I am sorry to hear how tough things are for you at the moment. Please know that we are all here for you on the forums 
 For his wellbeing and yours, it is very important that your brother gets the appropriate help and support that he needs (this may be talking to your local CATT team and/or your GP to help him get a mental health care plan). You can also have a look at our fact sheet on how you can help when someone experiences a mental health crisis here.