[__ Prayer __] I'm afraid for my sister and neice.

[NinaMMitchell]

Please pray my my sister and my neice. And my brother-in-law, becasue he's the problem. To make a long story short, my sisters husband suddenly has not been treating her well. To make a long story short, I think he has schizophrenia, or some other mental disorder. There are times when he seems fine, but then he starts acting wierd again. I just got off the phone with her and she said she thinks things are fine now. She called it temporary insanity. But I don't know. She promised she would take action if anything else happened. It's serious enough that my dad drove 15 hours to be with her. And it's serious enough that she burst into tears because she was so relieved he was coming. They've been married for a little under six years, and I honestly don't know if she would stay with him even if he's putting her in danger. He hasn't hurt her or their daughter and he hasn't threatened to, but the things he has done and said are serious enough to make me concerned for their safety. Please keep them all in your prayers. She's my only sister, and that's my only neice.

 

[handy]

I will pray for them. I hope someone is closer than your dad, even if a friend. When he isn't acting weird can one discuss this with him? It really sounds as if he's either abusing drugs or has some kind of disorder...one that perhaps treatment can help.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

Yes there is someone closer than my dad. Before my dad got there my sister and niece stay with her husbands family, and he stays in their apartment by himself. My mom said he's been getting drunk and has been in contact with a woman from his past. All of this stuff is very, very unlike him. He just got out of the military a year and some change ago, so my mom and my husband are wondering if he has PTSD, but it doesn't sound that way to me. I started to wonder if he hadn't got involved in some kind of cult. He's always been very Christian, and I also wonder if maybe he's gotten so involved in his religious beliefs that it's driven him a little crazy. I don't know what to think. My mom said that before he and my sister met, he had had some kind of mental disorder, bi-polar or something, but he stopped taking medication, but that was years and years ago. My mom said that they never know how to predict when he's going to start acting this way. All the information I have, I got from my mom, who got it from my dad, that's why I keep quoting my mom. But anyway, I think he deleted his facebook, but before he did, he changed his profile picture and name to something really weird. He changed his profile picture to someones face in a muslim headcovering thing, and he changed his profile name to something in Arabic. I don't know who the picture is of and I don't know what the Arabic writing says. I don't know what in the world to think or do.

 

[handy]

It very well could be PTSD, being exacerbated by the drinking. Since your sister and niece have a good relationship with his family, perhaps all of you, your family and his can work out some kind of intervention for him. Meanwhile, this does sound based more in sickness than just bad behavior. My prayers for all three of them.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

The more information I find out, the more I think he has schizophrenia. The good news is, my dad is coming home tomorrow and he's bringing my niece, who just turned 5 yesterday, back with him so that my sister and her husband can hopefully get him the help he needs. It breaks my heart to hear the things that are going on with him because, not only am I scared for my sister and niece's safety, but I hate that this is happening to him. I love my brother-in-law, and to know that he thinks the new neighbors are spies and that the people from his church are spying on him and things like that, it really really upsets me. I don't even like to think about it. I know a lot about serious mental disorders and that subject has always fascinated me, but now it scares me. Another thing is this. Both him and my sister are supposed to come home for Christmas (my niece will already be here) and with him acting this way, my husband does not want me to be near him. He actually has put his foot down and does not want me to go over to my grandma's house for Christmas if he is going to be there. I understand that and I respect his decision. My husband usually leaves final decisions up to me after we've discussed it, (his preference, not mine) so when he is adament about someting, I'm not going to fight his decision. But I do wish it didn't have to be that way. I know he is right, but still. I just hate the whole entire situation and my anxiety has gotten much worse since yesterday when I found out about all of this.

 

[lmw]

I was in a similar situation with my husband who had severe bipolar disorder, he passed away 3 months ago... but we were separated for a year prior because things became very dangerous. He would say some crazy things about religion too so this all seems familiar to me. I have a 3 yr old little boy, I know you are pretty worried and just want your sister and your niece to be safe.

I will be praying for your sister and her daughter, and praying for you to. Hang in there.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

Did your husband take any kind of medication or go to therapy? My brother in law is adament about not taking medicing because he says it will effect his brain (obviously), but he does want to see a therapist. I'm just worried that therapy by itself won't be enough. My dad said he seemed normal enough while he was there, but he doesn't know if maybe he was just putting on a good show while my dad was there. My dad told my brother in law that he wouldn't ask him any questions about what was going on, but if he wanted to talk, then my dad would listen. So my brother in law told him all about what was going on, i.e. The things he's thinking about people being spies, people bugging his house, following him.......My dad says he has a thought in the back of his mind that maybe he's making it up. Which, if he is, is also disturbing. But he doesn't really know why he thinks that. My brother in law is so sweet. He's a good husband and father. I don't want him and my sister to have to separate over this. Thank you for your prayers.

 

[St. Helens]

I just prayed for your bother in law and his family.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 1994. I know the importance of staying on the meds. They keep me normal and functional. I have been in remission for six years now. Going off them can really mess up the patient and make getting him back to normal difficult.

I have had to pray for a family member who had made the mistake of going off her meds. It really messed her up. Lots of prayer is probably what got her to come around and start her meds and therapy again.

I will continue to pray for your brother in law.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

I will continue to pray for your brother in law.

Thank you, please do. I'm so worried.

 

[lmw]

My husband took medication, but nothing he took worked because he drank alcohol and smoked weed, or he didn't take it long enough and he would switch to something different just 2 weeks later.

He had counseling every now and then, but the bipolar mind is a very intelligent one, he knew what to say to make the therapist happy. He always told me he would never be honest with them, because if he did, they would send him back to the mental hospital. It was very common for my family members to say things like, Oh he's just acting that way to get attention, or he's making it up. This is VERY common because the person could go for MONTHS without having any issues so all of a sudden something happens, then you wonder, well he was doing so good last month, he must be making all this stuff up now. Sometimes our marriage was perfect, that is what kept me hanging on through all the abuse, but then the next week it just got so bad. Eventually it got too bad for me to stay, too dangerous, I'd go into depth about it but this is your thread and I don't know if what I been through would be too much to tell.

I've heard everything about conspiracies and spies. He always talked about politics too during his bipolar episodes.

Therapy with the right medication, a faith in God, and a lot of prayer would have been the answer. But instead my husband did things that moved him further away for the Lord and from his family, and that choice ultimately ended his life.

SO I am praying hard. I am sorry you have to go through this, seeing your sister struggle. It's all too familiar to me but just know your sister and brother in law is in my prayers. There is still hope for their situation so I am praying.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

Thank you for your prayers. I got to see my brother in law because they are home for Christmas. He is not himself at ALL. He had a couple of moments where he was himself, but other than that he is extremely quiet and stays on his iphone and the computer all day. My sister says that by this summer, she and their daughter are moving back home with or without him. She said that part of the time he acts like he knows he has a problem and then part of the time he acts like he does not think he has a problem. I hadn't seen him since I got married which was a little over a year ago and he even looks different, particularly in the face. I just hope he agrees to some kind of treatment.

 

[NinaMMitchell]

Things have really escalated, but I thought it was about to get better. It's such a long story and there's so much to it that I can't even begin to type it all out. But, while they were home for Christmas, my b-i-l was on the computer and his ipod the ENTIRE time. My sister finally took it from him and found all these weird conversations with this girl. And they they get into a huge argument and he tells my sister, in front of their daughter, that there marriage is over because she won't call him master. She said that she and their daughter would just stay there then, and said "fine, there's no place for you in my home." to which my 5 year old niece says "daddy you have to stay married, we have to stay a family". So, my sister decided to stay with my parents until she found a place to live and my brother in law flew back to their house the next day. We were all very relieved because we all, including my sister, think he's gone crazy. Well, now we're not so sure. My dad and my sister we're going to fly back to AR on thursday to get all her stuff, but today she decided that she and my niece are just going to go back home and try to work things out. Well, my dad texted Will's dad and said that Loren is thinking of bringing Savannah and herself back home. Does Will want them to come back? and his dad texted back "he said no". So he doesn't even want his daughter. But still, they're going back.

 

[Jarrod@ OptimisticJourney]

I will definitely keep your sister and niece in my prayers. I pray that God sends His mighty angels to guard over them and protect them. And that your brother-and-law comes back to his right mind. I pray that they find peace in all this.

God bless you, my friend!

 

[jruner]

I pray for peace and safety for you and your family and for healing for this entire situation.

God Bless

 

[NinaMMitchell]

My sister changed her mind. She and my dad flew back to her house today, packed her stuff, and they're on their way back home. She seems to be doing pretty well. She looks good and seems relieved that she won't be around him anymore. She probably cries herself to sleep at night, but she does seem to be doing well. Except I don't think she's eating much, but who can blame her? This kind of stress can take anyone's appetite away. If she's leaving him permenently, I hope that she will be able to move on ok. Her husband is the only person she's ever been with, she never even dated anyone else. They started dating her junior year in highschool and got married when she was 20 years old. He was in the military and was away a lot obviously, so she never got to fully enjoy her marriage for any extended length of time. I know this is very, very hard on her. I can't imagine how she feels. She said that she never dreamed something like this could happen. Thank you everyone for your prayers.