I need help with my Brother-in-law's deployment

[thinkingwoman]

We've just learned that my brother-in-law that is supposed to be sent to Iraq has been diagnosed bi-polar and that his doctors want to hospitalize him but won't because he got orders to go active and report to base.

Help.

What can we do? What should we be doing? He reports to base Monday but said his orders say he will not ship out for four months.

We don't think anyone should have to go to that hellhole in the sand but we definitely don't think a bi-polar should be carrying an assault rifle.

I'm looking for any help anyone can give...any advice. Please.

[babylonsister]

1. His doctors want to hospitalize him but won't

because of orders? WTF? What if he had cancer? That's just ridiculous. I'm sorry, thinkingwoman, I don't know what to tell you, but please keep us posted.

[thinkingwoman]

3. it sounds very "through the looking glass"

to me. We are getting this info from my brother-in-law who should be heavily medicated apparently...so I'm not sure what the truth of it all is.

Basically he said they wanted to hospitalize him but since he got his orders they wouldn't/couldn't because of "legal issues" with him being activated.

I am a reasonably intelligent person from a family that had multiple members serve in the military for many generations, and I have no friggin idea what that means. :eyes:

We just found out about all this in the past few days...my hubby finally made contact with his brother tonight. My brother-in-law believes that the military will change their mind when he tells them all of this on Monday.

I don't have the same faith, needless to say.

This is all made worse by the fact that my in-laws are NOT a military family. They have NO background whatsoever with military service. My brother-in-law is the first. So they are no help. I'd have already hired an attorney by now. They are sitting on their hands sure that the military won't send him if he's sick.

Sorry about the rant. I am losing my mind here.

[IN-dem]

15. My oldest has bi-polar...Is he on any meds?

My daughter takes Symbyax (sp?) It has been a godsend. I know this won't help him getting out of being deployed but thought maybe the med would help?

[thinkingwoman]

16. he was on meds

and then he went off of them...now he seems willing to go back on.

My brother is bi-polar and won't take meds either...frustrates the hell out of me.

We're not sure if my brother-in-law was having side effects he couldn't cope with or just stopped because he was in denial or what. We're trying to get a handle on what is going on with him so that we can help.

I'll keep that med in mind and see if it can help him. Thanks!

[IN-dem]

18. We tried every med possible on my daughter

she would look it up on the internet and find out the side effects then she would say it wasn't working. In Jan of 2004 I took her to the family doctor instead of her psychiatrist and she prescribe sybyax and it was just put out on the market then...she is 100000000% better. It has been a life saver. I was one step away from having her committed so I sing the praises of this med. Wishing you the best.

[thinkingwoman]

19. thanks for the good wishes

we'll take all we can get. :hi:

[rateyes]

2. I can't help other than to say that

it sounds like he has irresponsible doctors to me. If a person needs hospitalization, and won't do it, well that's just criminal.

[thinkingwoman]

9. I agree

and moral support counts as help. :-)

[catnhatnh]

4. OK,

They assume that any given soldier has a limited support structure...So have as much contact as possible with the army, by as many people as possible-they want him as a "troop" but NOT if he is a poison pill...ie: if he gets killed or wounded, it WILL cause questions...Beyond that, if the young person agrees-media-as much and as soon as possible. A sympathetic story on the reality of a bipolar disorder should easily point out that his deployment in a war zone is counter productive...Perhaps coupled with a supportive piece on how even a bipolar type can fit in with the military when motivated and yet how it would be a mistake to send a high achieving person WITH A HANDICAP to a warzone....My best guess-Like roaches,they HATE daylight...

[thinkingwoman]

10. it's a family of 5 brothers

I think we can make some noise!

[lcordero2]

5. contact your local representative because he

shouldn't even be in the armed services.

http://www.med.miami.edu/communications/som_news/index.asp?id=114

[thinkingwoman]

11. Thank you so much for this article!

I printed it for my hubby!

I'll be calling state and federal reps Monday morning.

[caledesi]

6. Tell him to smoke pot. Will not pass the physical. nt

[thinkingwoman]

12. I like how you think. nt

[caledesi]

17. Wish it were my idea, but Randi Rhodes suggested this.

As an aside, I was talking w/ a guy who was doing repairs in our house and he was telling me how he was in the Army and just recently they called him up to "come back."

He told them: "I am gay and do heroin, still want me?"

Ha ha! Never got another call.

[annabanana]

7. post this in General Discussion too

I know it's busy in there, but your thread title ought to draw some attention...

[thinkingwoman]

8. thanks, I will nt.

[ingabingabunga]

13. Do this fast...

Most states have laws that allow people to commit other people to mental health review against their will. It is usually used to have a person who is dangerous to himself or others checked out by doctors so that they can treat the person if necessary.

This can usually be done 24 hours a day.Most of the time physicians and cops do it after witnessing a person doing harmful things, but regular people can do it to.

Since he is bi-polar you can imagine the possibilities. You could say that he threatened to kill himself etc.....

You usually go to the designated facility in your area/town/state and swear out a statement to a mental health professional and then they decide if the situation demands hospitalization.

If they feel that the person needs help and the person won't come in voluntarily, then they can issue a mental health warrant.

they pick him up and check him out for a few days and let him go.

This of course means he now has a mental health history and the military would be less inclined to take him.

I am not a lawyer and don't know how this would work in your state but it is just an idea.. it may have huge future ramifications but could very well keep him alive.

And the best part is, someone else did it to him and he had no control over it so they can't say he did something to keep himself form being deployed. (BTW-Don't mention the deployment thing if you don't have to.)

Just a thought.

[thinkingwoman]

14. that's a very interesting idea.

I hadn't thought of that.

Unfortunately we're not in the same part of the state. But, hmm......