As a side note, my friend’s brother was living alone on a beach in northern Michigan when winter was coming on. He had to petition the local judge, a personal friend, to issue an order to have him committed to the state hospital. It was indeed a very complicated procedure but was necessary in his brother’s case despite what happened to him while he was there............
Wow, that’s uncanny. A friend of mine has a brother with schizophrenia who was released from the mental hospital in Traverse City. For years, a social worker would find him a room to rent each spring. He’d live independently, usually not taking his medications, as a homeless person in the bad part of town. Late each fall, the social worker would “discover” he was living on the streets and have him committed during the cold winter months.
There is a happy ending to my story, though. Eventually he was found by someone who actually *wanted* to help him, not just shuffle paperwork for him and collect his SSI check. They found a nice home for him where people will make sure he takes his medication and keeps a regular schedule while having his own space.
I’m very sorry your friend wasn’t able to find the same kind of help for his brother.