Maybe someone here knows how to help. I have a very good friend who has gone around the bend. I mean seriously crazy. He has been hospitalized in lock down psychiatric wards twice and left without permission or taking his meds. He is in the process of giving away gobs of his money and will soon be destitute. He married a Thai woman and has since abandoned her. I just received a phone call from her asking for advice. He drinks excessively and smokes way too much marijuana. He apparently looks decades older than his previous self. She (and I) fear it is only a matter of time before he kills someone or will die himself, if not arrested and sent to prison first as he has bouts of violent outbursts. Is there any way to help him before the hammer falls? His wife wants to commit him back to the hospital, but doesn't know how to do that. Is there help available through the US Embassy, some aid agency here in Thailand, the police, immigration? If anyone knows how to handle this situation, any advice would be appreciated.

 

I don't know how things like this work in Thailand. I would contact the embassy. I am sure they can tell you what the procedure is.

Im not sure,maybe you could ask the same question on www.thaivisa.com.

 

Only a Psychiatrist can committ a person to a govt mental hospital against their will.

You said he has already been twice.

 

However,there is a private psychiatric hospital in Pattaya and its called Channah or similar name where no referral is needed as they are voluntary and privately paid.

 

According to their advertisement on thaivisa.com,Channa have inpatient and outpatient services,and treat all psychiatric and psychological problems.

 

I would imagine its not cheap staying there.They are farang owned .

They could also i imagine tell you how to committ someone involuntary under Thai Law ,if there is one for farangs that is,however im not sure if Channah take involuntary patients.

I imagine to be committed involuntary the Police would have to be involved .

That usually means he is suicidal or violent to others,however as i said b efore im not sure private psychiatric hospital as channah would take such a person who didnt want to be there.

Unless he admits his addiction and wants help there is little you can do except call Police when he has these violent outbursts.

Obviously he is covering up problems in his life with the help of the bottle .

You cannot force anyone to be helped. ONLY he can do this,you can support him,but its up to him.

 

Maybe he has manic depression,and not taking the meds or cobining it with alcohol makes his condition worse.

So its obvious he has a Doctor in Thailand if he s on meds for his condition,has the wife spoke of her concerns to the doctor?

Why isnt the doctor committing him if he is as bad as his wife says?

He cannot leave a locked ward? You said he has been in hospital lockdown,then his Psychiatrist/DR would know his history.The wife needs to call him/her and expain what is happening,only they can put him in a secure ward.

Diazapam plus alcohol can make people irritable and hostile.

In reality he probaly needs to get out of the environment he is in,eg,back to to the USA.

 

 

Rich, I shared your post with a mutual friend that deals with these issues all of the time and got this advice.

 

"The sad part is you have to let the person fall and if they then ask for help you can step in. The best thing you can do is change the locks on your house. He needs to get sober and then move to a ½ way house for recovering addicts. Before you treat the mental illness you have to make sure there are not mind altering substances in his system. Old friends need to lock the doors and go on living their life without him. So sad but see it happen all the time."

 

Although this is hardly a cheerful bit of advice, I hope that you find it helpful. Good Luck