How should I go about handling my (very) mentally ill father who goes through (primarily) emotionally/psychologically abusive phases with anyone he holds a relationship with? Completely cutting off contact is probably not a solution for a few reasons. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 3, 2009 - 23 answers

I am looking for a forum or community (e.g. Facebook group) about mental illness being dismissed by churches as sin or demon possession, or people with obvious mental illnesses not being referred to doctors by their pastors. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 7, 2009 - 4 answers

Seeking some advice on how to best help my father in law. You are not my lawyer; you are not his doctor. [more inside]
posted by Emperor SnooKloze on Sep 1, 2009 - 3 answers

Is it possible to adopt a child when a spouse has bipolar disorder? [more inside]
posted by Pater Aletheias on Aug 27, 2009 - 10 answers

Is it legal (or even safe) to buy friendship? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 19, 2009 - 38 answers

What can an adult son do to help his homeless, possibly mentally ill mother states away? [more inside]
posted by lizjohn on Jul 16, 2009 - 18 answers

My introverted 19 year old little brother just confessed to me that he "hears voices" (telling him to hurt and kill people) and that he "sees things that aren't there". Help me find some resources to help him. [more inside]
posted by Avenger on Jul 12, 2009 - 41 answers

Should I reveal my depression to my co-workers? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 7, 2009 - 37 answers

What can my friend/former SO expect from community mental health counseling? [more inside]
posted by dilettante on Jul 5, 2009 - 10 answers

What is the proper way to react to another person's delusions? [more inside]
posted by vorpal bunny on Jun 13, 2009 - 24 answers

Depression that doesn't respond to drugs - what are the guidelines on ECT for unwilling hospital patients? [more inside]
posted by tulipwool on May 6, 2009 - 17 answers

Meta-Meta-RelationshipFilter: Have there been any scientific trials to study the efficacy of talk therapy that involved a placebo as control? [more inside]
posted by XMLicious on Apr 20, 2009 - 21 answers

How do you deal with a crazy person's total hostility? [more inside]
posted by liketitanic on Apr 11, 2009 - 14 answers

Due to years of my mother’s mental illness, dependency on prescription medication, and wildly varying levels lying leading to all sort of trust issues, I am a 30-year old woman with a very complicated relationship with my aging mom. I feel more than a little guilt and sadness about this, and authentically would like to improve our relationship. There are, of course complications. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 3, 2009 - 9 answers

Has my brother completely lost his mind? And if so, what do I do now? Before 9 PM today I was prepared to ask about biodiesel cars. [more inside]
posted by liketitanic on Mar 22, 2009 - 25 answers

How do I connect with a half-sister who is only six years old? Details of our estrangement and additional background inside. [more inside]
posted by snapped on Feb 18, 2009 - 24 answers

Australian (and U.S.) Mental Health/Legal Filter. Can you just go and talk your GP into having someone put through a psychiatric evaluation? [more inside]
posted by metalheart on Feb 1, 2009 - 14 answers

My friend and his fiance have a mentally ill woman living below them who is making their lives absolute hell. They live in Massachusetts. Would there be consequences if they break their apartment's lease to leave because of her? [more inside]
posted by csimpkins on Jan 14, 2009 - 19 answers

Were the mother and daughter subjects of the documentary "Grey Gardens" mentally ill? [more inside]
posted by greekphilosophy on Jan 12, 2009 - 16 answers

The short version: mom's morphed into a reclusive, depressive, heavily-medicated, quasi-narcoleptic shell of a woman. She's given up on life and herself. More disturbingly, she's burned holes in hundreds of household items (carpets, floors, computer keyboards) after falling asleep while smoking. It's a recipe for tragedy(s) - fires, skull fractures, etc. We want a better life for her (or hell, any life at all, given the fire hazards). What can we do? [more inside]
posted by julthumbscrew on Jan 8, 2009 - 24 answers

My many bad decisions about education and work that have left me in dead-end jobs. What's the career of my dreams? And how do I get it? [more inside]
posted by xchmp on Sep 18, 2008 - 13 answers

I've spent the last fifteen years suffering from bipolar disorder (bipolar II with the emphasis on depression) and a sleep disorder. Four months ago I switched to a medication that turns out to be perfect for me. I feel normal. Assuming this continues, my mood disorder is essentially cured. Fifteen years of mental illness have really screwed up my life. How do I get it back? [more inside]
posted by xchmp on Jul 29, 2008 - 22 answers

I'm looking for scientific information on whether a person who is not suffering from mental illness can experience ongoing, coherent auditory hallucinations, specifically voices. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 28, 2008 - 27 answers

I'm pretty sure my father is mentally ill and I need to get him into some sort of public assistance living situation. Does anyone have experience with something like that? What do I do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 6, 2008 - 9 answers

How to manage an inheritance when we don' t know how responsible the person (now 18) will be? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 2, 2008 - 27 answers

Can incorrect and speculative family history be corrected on my medical records? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 17, 2008 - 4 answers

Does literature exist that describes a relationship between adolescent "hard" drug use and later development of mental illness? I am interested in peer-reviewed journal articles and reputable websites. [more inside]
posted by dendrite on Jan 20, 2008 - 8 answers

In the past I was committed to a mental hospital. Now I would like to learn to be a long range marksman and perhaps shoot skeet. What options do I have to legally purchase, own and use a firearm for these purposes? [more inside]
posted by DetonatedManiac on Oct 10, 2007 - 15 answers

Why do Bipolar sufferers cut themselves? [more inside]
posted by hadjiboy on Sep 8, 2007 - 28 answers

Help me create an interesting and realistic character with schizophrenia for my novel. Ideally, there would be a "Vaults of Erowid" type site out there where people have documented their 1st hand experiences with mental illnesses, but no such site seems to exist. [more inside]
posted by ekstasis23 on Aug 2, 2007 - 26 answers

Long ago, when the internets were new, I came upon a strange and exceedingly captivating image. I've searched and searched for it since, to no avail. Somebody else out there has to have seen this, please point me in the right direction. [more inside]
posted by ackptui on Jul 1, 2007 - 6 answers

Do people suffering from delusions ever/sometimes/frequently recognize this without it being pointed out to them? [more inside]
posted by Bugbread on May 15, 2007 - 26 answers

My friend is crazy, and does not accept it, and will not consider getting help [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 28, 2007 - 29 answers

Does the current paradigm of Mental Illness having an underlying physical and biological basis (say, due to a chemical imbalance) negate the concept of Free Will? Also, where can one read more on this issue?
posted by sk381 on Dec 11, 2006 - 23 answers

Where can a schizophrenic live? [more inside]
posted by subpixel on Sep 29, 2006 - 23 answers

Is there a word to describe a person who repeatedly becomes convinced that someone else is sick with various obscure ailments, based on flimsy or imagined evidence? [more inside]
posted by jessicapierce on Sep 26, 2006 - 13 answers

Friend in trouble: bipolar, taking Zoloft, smoking huge amount of marijuana which exacerbates his mania. He's acting crazy. I'm far away -- how can I help? Especially, how can I support his girlfriend, and convince him to accept treatment and quit the pot? Other advice about treatment for bipolar disorder? [more inside]
posted by LobsterMitten on Aug 28, 2006 - 14 answers

My mother has gone bonkers, but she won't admit it on her own. How can I help her get help? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 30, 2006 - 6 answers

Is there any way to find out my grandfather's medical / criminal history when a) I know almost nothing about him and b) He's been dead since 1994? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Feb 1, 2006 - 12 answers

My husband's grandson (my stepson's son) came to live with us last week after Child Protective Services removed him from his mother's care. She still has legal custody of him. What are the benefits and drawbacks of getting legal custody of him through the courts? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 6, 2005 - 4 answers

My partner shows all the classic signs of depression, yet vehemenently declares that they are not depressed. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 20, 2005 - 15 answers

Managers, employers, and workers with this experience: should I tell my boss about my bipolar disorder? I'm about to enter a situation where it might disrupt my work... [more inside]
posted by veronitron on Apr 26, 2005 - 18 answers

I think my ex-boyfriend may be bipolar. He refuses to admit that, or seek help. His mother and I are both worried, and both want to help, but we don't know what to do. Does anyone have any experience convincing someone to seek help? [more inside]
posted by occhiblu on Mar 30, 2005 - 29 answers

Apropos of this thread, I'm curious if there is any sort of 'opposite' to Autism/Asperberger's... [more inside]
posted by GriffX on Jan 12, 2005 - 15 answers

How did you successfully conquer a severe phobia?
posted by nakedcodemonkey on Oct 22, 2004 - 17 answers