Q: I have a 17 year old brother who is abusive and completely refuses to listen to my parents rules. Can they kick him out?
He will be 18 in 3 months. He is completely disobedient, defiant, manipulative, you name it. My parents are on the verge of a mental breakdown. He is bipolar and refuses to take his medication. He is constantly lieing about where he is and what he is doing. I personally fear for my parents lives. He pins them in there room while he scream and mentally abuses them. Please lead us down the right path. He leaves for a week but then always returns.
**Update!** I should have mentioned my parents and our family have been through family counseling and have went down every possible road available. However he REFUSES to take medication or accept any sort of help. He doesnt feel he has a problem. So the decision to remove him from the home is the very last resort. You know it make no sense to me that at the age of 14 he can make the decision to receive mental health or not. He can make that decision but isnt old enough to be removed from their home. Sounds alittle messed up if you ask me.
A:
This is a decision your parents need to make. But if your brother has a mental illness and is dangerous to himself or to others, he might be involuntarily committed for treatment. I don’t know what county you’re in, but you can get information about mental health treatment options from the county mental health office. If your brother is acting dangerously, you should encourage your parents to call the police. In the meantime you and they can learn more about how to help your brother. A Protection from Abuse order might get him out of the house, but it won’t get him treatment. Sometimes a PFA is necessary, but it won’t make people take medication.
Bipolar disorder is treatable and many people with it live successful and happy lives. The hard part is getting people like your brother to see that and accept treatment.
Kathryn Hilbush agrees with this answer
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