Schizophrenia

My mother has paranoid schizophrenia and she is anosognosic. We had her committed when I was in college but when she was released she dumped all her pills down the toilet and took the whole experience as evidence of the plot against her. She has not been well, but she has been in a "holding pattern" and we've been able to take care of her.

Things have been rapidly decelerating recently to the point where we need to take action. She throws money away (literally, in the trashcan—it's cursed or something), periodically believes what food she has is poisoned and won't eat. She's been upsetting the neighbors (chasing them, leaving the apartment entrance unlocked late at night) and we worry they might have her evicted. Now she won't let my brother (her primary caregiver) into the apartment.

The big problem is that at least as of the last time we committed her, the law where we live (Virginia) was that you could only commit a blood relative with whom you shared a residence, but since then, I have moved to another state and my brother has moved in with our father, so she lives alone. How does the state of Virginia expect people who live alone to get help? Last time, the social worker assured us someone would come by regularly to check on her, but that never happened.

I have heard the new governor has unveiled a plan to fix the mental health system, but there's no way the laws have changed yet and I'm not sure she can wait long enough for them to. Can anyone point me toward some resources on the laws in Virginia, or services available there, or a mental health lawyer or something so we can see if we have any options? Thank you for any advice you can give.

Dear Joan,

Please contact NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, at (800) 950-NAMI (6264).

As far as I know currently, from having read Pete Early's book, Crazy, about his son with bipolar and the justice system, in most states the person who is psychotic has to be an "imminent danger to himself or someone else."

Pete Early tried to get his son, who was clearly delusional, admitted to a mental hospital in Virginia, and the doctor turned the son away. 48 hours later, the son decompensated, committed a crime while sick, and met with hardship.

So, I don't believe it's a "blood relative" that has to commit the person, though you ARE a blood relative in my eyes, since you are her daughter. It simply depends on whether you can convince a doctor your mother is a danger to herself or someone else.

The least you can do is maybe call up a psych hospital in Virginia, call the hospital's emergency room, and be frank, and ask them "Is there any way I can get my mother committed? She is clearly a danger to herself."

It may involve saying your mother threatened you, yet even then, the doctors in a psych hospital sometimes see through that ruse and won't admit someone.

So, first call NAMI at the phone number I gave you. Try to do it today. They will advise you.

Unfortunately, sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better. That just goes to show you how screwed-up commitment laws are.

I wish you the best in getting your mother treatment.

Regards,
Chris