Hi,
She could be bipolar but it hard to see from here because she has other things going on as well. At this point she could have some traits of Personality Disorders. Wikipedia has a list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorder
These are often hard to treat with medication.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dejibo
My niece isnt just being lazy. There is something wrong with her. She cant make decisions. She cant figure out how to do things for herself. she is frequently depressed and then all of a sudden she gets these huge bursts of energy and wants to go to school or learn to drive or will start throwing out all of her furniture wanting new stuff. She has ZERO income and my mother pays for her internet (she refuses to cut it off) and she got a payment after
|
There could be some type of ADHD going on -- people with that sometimes appear lazy to outsiders because they cannot manage well. She certainly seems depressed. How long do those huge bursts of energy last? A few days? A few weeks? Months?
The niece probably qualifies for disability but that would require her to cooperate with authorities.
By protecting her for a decade and a half, the grandmother has harmed her.
Quote:
|
I NEED her to drive. my mother is unsafe driving, and is going to wreck. I promise they wont renew her license as she is confused now and easily lost. I NEED her to help around the house
|
The roads are safer without the niece driving. At any rate, she needs lots of progress before she can drive and she is not interested in change.
Because of the state and federal civil rights laws enacted in the 1960s and 1070s, neither one of them can be forced into medical treatment unless certain conditions are met. For most states, the person has to be a danger to self or others. Ask a social worker or someone who knows if there is a third condition in your state --- has to do with the person being able to take care of themselves.
If the granddaughter is violent, call the police immediately. They can take her to a hospital to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. Maybe call the police at their non emergency phone number during the day and ask them how they handle mental health phone calls. Maybe they have some ideas for you.
What is the condition of the home? Maybe it is in violation of city codes and you could get the city involved.
Maybe you can get some talk therapy for yourself so that you can handle the stress of this situation of whatever the fall out will be. As you point out, somethings are going to happen anyway --- whether those two want change or not. In the meantime, you can stay healthy for yourself.
M