Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, my name is John, I am looking after my older brother Michael with help from my aunt and close family. I have been looking after him since 2013 when my father died. Michael is in his mid fifties and has only just been diagnosed with medium to severe autism. He is in a bad way mentally. He has also been diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. He is a recluse and refuses interaction with other people. He also has no motivation to help himself or me. I pay all his bills, do all his shopping and maintain his environment. Michael blames my late mother and father for his, as he sees it bad living conditions. He is very hard to deal with. He suffers from OCD, hords rubbish, refuses to open the curtains or windows. Keeps food on the floor and will not use the refrigerator. Often eating 15 to 20 day old food that should have been refrigerated. He often refuses to open the door and gets aggressive if we try to help with cleaning ect. The mental health and council seem to think it's OK to visit once a week or fortnight for 5 minutes and then declare "he's alright". Michael is always saying he will comit suicide and shouldn't have been born. He rants and swears loudly, often we receive complaints from nieghbours. He suffers severe mood swings from calm to ranting and shouting. I am worried for his safety and have expressed my concern's but it all seems to fall of deaf ears. He is living under the borough of [removed by mod] council. We have been informed that this is the worst in the country with regards to mental health. I welcome any advice or comments that you may have.
I was trying to ask whether he would passively accept help to improve his mental health or whether he would actively resist any attempt to interfere.
There are benefits that he is likely to be entitled to that would pay for extra assistance with day to day living. I also wonder whether he might be better off in a supported housing environment.
Diagnoses like schizoid personality disorder are sometimes a best attempt to describe his behaviour and thinking. There are a lot of people on this forum who have had various labels applied to them before a diagnosis of autism is made. It is possible to have multiple mental health diagnoses but it may be that his thinking and attitude couldimprove markedly if he was properly treated for his underlying autism.
I have reservations about the extreme caution used by the moderators in removing health authority names. If there is a problem in an area then I think that it should not be hidden. There is a danger that the problems at Southern Trust NHS Trust might be rumbling on in another area. Vulnerable people are the least able to defend themselves and obtain good services and this site might be one of the few places where people can see enough of a pattern to raise the alarm.