Please Help - Kind of an Emergency

[Seahunt]

My son has been diagnosed bi-polar he is 19. He is abusing opiates. Last nite I caught him trying to sneak two guns (rifles) out of the house. I told his friends to never come back and made him leave and go to his uncles. He is really mad. I'm not sure what to do. He is complaining that his uncles house is hot, ect. He is calling us names and says everything would have been "fine" if I hadn't looked in the trunk of his friends car. He confided in his uncle last nite that he sold a kid $1,500 worth of leaves (kid thought it was drugs). I'm just trying to explain the types of things he is doing. I posted this in the drug addiction area but someone said I should really come over here too. Thanks.

[ranae1221]

My first thought is that if you feel he is a danger to you, your family or himself then you need to contact the authorities.

Was he taking the guns to use them or to sell them?

Is he receiving any kind of treatment for the Bipolar? Does he have a doc or anything?

[Jeb18]

Yeah sounds like a mess, I would call the police.

[Bamboozle]

I third calling the authorities.


(((Seahunt)))

[Faerie]

Your number 1 priority is keeping yourself safe. The authorities can also keep your son from causing harm to himself or others.

I am sorry I am unable to give you more advice than that.

My heart goes out to you at this difficult time,

Wishing you much love,

Faerie,

[Seahunt]

Thanks for the replies. He is being treated with Lithium, Trileptol (SP?) and Anti-depressants. He was really bad last spring and fall and did try to commit suicide in the Winter. I don't think it was an honest attempt but an attempt at any rate. He is in-between psychiatrists right now. He has an appt. with a new psychiatrist in one month (Man they are hard to get appts with). He has an appt. with a psychologist next week. I spoke with his old psychiatrist yesterday just to understand psychosis and his risk for it. I don't think the Dr. was convinced he was psychotic but did say not to let it get to crisis. He thought a month was too long to get to a psychiatrist. Will the psychologist appt. next week suffice? I believe the medication he is on helps, it’s just he adds weed, opiates, and alchohol…not to mention he is only 19.

I thank god he works. His boss is one who takes troubled folks under his wing. Without him, I don’t think I would be writing this.

Oh, and as for the danger, I don't know. I guess that is why I am posting here. I don't think our law enforcement is the best solution...I just know we are teetering between it being the only solution...it's hard and I appreciate all of your input.

Thanks for the guidance and support!

[ClayTheScribe]

Originally Posted by Seahunt

Thanks for the replies. He is being treated with Lithium, Trileptol (SP?) and Anti-depressants. He was really bad last spring and fall and did try to commit suicide in the Winter. I don't think it was an honest attempt but an attempt at any rate. He is in-between psychiatrists right now. He has an appt. with a new psychiatrist in one month (Man they are hard to get appts with). He has an appt. with a psychologist next week. I spoke with his old psychiatrist yesterday just to understand psychosis and his risk for it. I don't think the Dr. was convinced he was psychotic but did say not to let it get to crisis. He thought a month was too long to get to a psychiatrist. Will the psychologist appt. next week suffice? I believe the medication he is on helps, it’s just he adds weed, opiates, and alchohol…not to mention he is only 19.

I thank god he works. His boss is one who takes troubled folks under his wing. Without him, I don’t think I would be writing this.

Oh, and as for the danger, I don't know. I guess that is why I am posting here. I don't think our law enforcement is the best solution...I just know we are teetering between it being the only solution...it's hard and I appreciate all of your input.

Thanks for the guidance and support!

He needs to be seeing a therapist along with a psychiatrist, namely a therapist that specializes in treating addictions. Don't neglect talk therap, it's very important. Abusing those drugs and alcohol (they're all depressants) while on those medications will eventually lead back to suicide; this is from personal experience. Convince him to go to rehab if need be. Or take him with you to an AA, Narcotics Anonymous and/or Marijuana Anonymous meeting. 19-20 is such a scary and volatile age for people with mental disorders, he needs all the treatment he gets. I'd say take away his guns or threaten to call the police because eventually he will get up the courage to use them. The psychiatrist will suffice until next week, but those medications mean nothing if he's pouring drugs and alcohol on top of them. I think that really needs to be addressed first. Although in his case you might want to taper him off the weed and opiates and depending on how bad his alcohol problem is, he may need detox. If he makes any threatening gesture or says something to that effect about himself or others, don't hesitate to call the police. Going into the psych ward may be the best thing for him right now as he's on a path of self-destruction--I've been down that road.

[liveweyerd]

Clay is exactly right, I am too familiar with this scenario,...I lost my own son to suicide, the only thing I would add and stress is to not hesitate to have him Baker acted, (put in the hospital) AND lock up, hide, sell, store elsewhere those guns so that he cannot have access to them, do this NOW.

[tjp613]

My son is bi-polar, 19, and is addicted to marijuana and coke (or anything else he could get his hands on). I gave him the choice of homelessness or rehab.... he chose rehab. We found a good one that treated both of his issues (psych. & addiction) and he came out of rehab 6 weeks later like a new person. It's only been a month, but he is doing sooooo much better. I have my kid back!

His psychiatrist is constantly adjusting his medications so it could be that yours needs an adjustment....but as long as he is adding street drugs, who knows what the outcome will be!!? Make sure his psychiatrist knows he is using drugs. If you can, call the psychiatrist and tell them it's an emergency and is there any possible way he can get in sooner. If not, keep looking until you find one that can.

Just my $0.02!

[spittake]

Originally Posted by Seahunt

He was really bad last spring and fall and did try to commit suicide in the Winter. I don't think it was an honest attempt but an attempt at any rate.

Your first post was unclear about what sneaking the guns out would indicate.

You do realize that the involvement of guns in a suicide plan/attempt is possibly the most serious psychiatric emergency there is, and warrants hospitalization.

I say this as a recent recipient of emergency intervention for just such a situation. I'd never been in a psych ward, but I knew, even before I got there, that it was absolutely where I needed to be.

If you consider a triage of suicidality, firearms top the list. Always, always, always.