Could My Parents Commit Me Against My Will?

[Wesley]

Wow Brat's story is an inspiration to us all, ([DLMURL]https://www.myptsd.com/c/threads/could-my-therapist-commit-me-against-my-will.34851[/DLMURL]) I too have delt with so many "friends" in my life who could care less about mental illness and just want to bully us because they deep down are such cowards.

This is the new civil rights movement for we are human beings too and should not be treated as second class citizens just because people are too lazy, stupid and selfish to understand us.

Ten years ago when every single one of my friends in Southern California gave me crap after I was diagnosed with Asperger's and depression I just started cutting people out of my life and it ended up costing me two of the closest friendships I ever had in the long run since the people I cut off convinced others that I was crazy.

Cutting your family off on the other hand is much more difficult but after years of emotional abuse at the hands of my parents I am finally seriously considering it but I need some help.

My situation is that my parents are control freaks who have decided that their solutions for me are the best and my opinions don't matter because I am not an actual adult who is capable of taking care of myself. I am diagnosed with Asperger's, which I certainly have, and bipolar disorder, which I could have, but the mental health system will def argue that I do. I had a manic episode a few years back and long story short my parents were able to get me hospitalized against my will over it and the doctors thereafter diagnosed me as bipolar.

I have considered suicide many many years ago and I wrote a letter to my parents about it once but that was all the way back in 2004.

We have been seeing the same family therapist for some time now and I have to say that I am trusting her less and less lately. Although she was a great help to me when I was severally depressed several years ago lately she just seems to be on my parent's side about everything, and it makes sense because guess where the pay checks come from.

My mom blames my alleged disorders for me freaking out on her when the truth is that she says nasty and awful things to me on purpose to set me off because she knows how to push my buttons. She is very manipulative and has managed to get pretty much everyone on her side at this point except for my closest friends and my foster brother, who is "no longer part of this family."

Honestly the one who has severe bipolar is my mom not me she is the one who freaks out over the stupidest crap and tries to force everyone around her to agree with her opinions to the T.

Anyway I won't get more into my personal life the question I have for this support forum is under what circumstances can my parents have me committed against my will? They have had me put on Depakote through a psychiatrist whom I do not like at all he tells me that the medication is not causing me any side effects when I have clearly gained a lot of weight and cannot wake up until 8:30 AM every day even though I used to be up at 6:00 AM every day during law school.

I read that these side effects are from Depakote so I stopped taking it secretly and sure enough I feel better and can function again for the first time in over 18 months :).

I am angry with my parents and therapist for insisting that I take this medication but I need to get on something to be sure I don't have any more episodes so I plan to go to another doctor to get Lamictal maybe. I am trying to get into the JAG right now which is military law and if I am accepted then I am going to write my parents a letter telling them I stopped Depakote and I no longer have patience for their insistence that they manage my health conditions for me.

Can they construe this as evidence that I am "gravely disabled" with the doctors help and have me committed just because I am allegedly bipolar and I decided to switch to a different medication? My mom is a real weirdo and I know for certain she will go through some pretty extreme lengths to manipulate the system to get her way since she absolutely has to be right about everything.

All my friends think its a bad idea, and I do not have much money for a lawyer :(. Any advice would be greatly appreciated I cannot afford to go to the hospital again I just finished law school and the bar exam so I am trying to start my career and that would just screw up everything for me right now.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Unless you started college around age 11, then yes, you are an *actual* adult. Its a bit harder for parents to get an adult child committed vs a minor child. What sorts of friends are you getting this advice from? Break free from your parents and stop telling them all about your medications. Its NONE of their business.

 

[Chava]

I'm a little confused because it sounded like you are a kid, then like you must be well into your 20s. If you are 18+ you are free, unless you are living with your parents (so, that's messy) or otherwise tangled so that they can fear too much for your safety and arm wrestle the system to get you committed. Or, because of your illnesses are they somehow still your legal guardians? (there's another word for that, but I don't remember...my parents did have me committed when I was 18 but I needed it). I don't know how to answer your questions. But I will say that my parents definitely had their own baggage that they were happy to dump onto me.

Your mom might be controlling and preoccupied, but I don't know to what extent you are safe or if you are able to have boundaries between you and your parents (physical or otherwise). It sounds like your mom is making major decisions for you and I don't have enough info to know what that is about.

 

[Wesley]

Yes I know I sound kind of like a kid when I talk about my parents ok 'sigh', they've drilled it into my head for so many years that I am immature that I get wrapped up in it and I appreciate you understanding that. Anyway long story short my mom wants to make decisions for me because she always has considered me to be a child even though I am over 30 and this diagnoses of bipolar has only further reinforced that idea in her mind. They have no conservatorship or guardianship over me (although they may try to get one my mom knows some of the local judges) and I am not living with them. I need to tell them I stopped taking my meds one way or another because they do blood tests, and they will eventually find out. So what if they try to have me committed? I was under the impression that you can't be committed just for refusing meds unless you are showing symptoms as a direct result of not taking the meds.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

Well, from one bipolar to another....Time to stand up and be responsible.

If you don't like your psychiatrist get another one.

Your an adult. Your medication is none of your parents business.

You must take your medication. You must. You will f*ck yourself up if you 'secretly' stop taking it. Face the people (doctors) around you and tell them you don't like it and can you try something else? There are lots of options and it can take some work but it is possible to find the correct dosage.

However, I wonder if all your parents and doctors worry is because you went off your meds before and bad things happened?

 

[Wesley]

I've never been on meds my entire life until last year when I had my first ever hospitalization. I agree it's risky to go off meds but I don't care the side effects are worse than the meds. Yes I have tried asking the doctor nicely meanly whatever to out me in something else he doesn't care. As soon as I have some money I will get a new doctor I'm just hoping that my parents won't commit me in the meantime you know...