Well here's the situation. My mother who is now almost 50 has displayed characteristics of schizophrenia for the past 2 years. I live in Michigan and I have to file a petition for hospitalization to get her evaluated by a doctor. Well, they transferred her to a psychiatric hosptial and she was released several hours later. I was upset because I felt that wasn't enough. Granted, she doen't have insurance and I'm not sure if thats the reason why, but all they did was send her home with samples of seroquel; but her discharge papers state Major Depression as her diagonsis. Well, why send her home with Seroquel, isn't that a antipsychotic drug. I have tried to call the doctor several times to get answers, they know I am the patients daughter and they just won't give me a response.

Now she is refusing to seek followup care and now the symptoms have returned and they are worse in my opinion. She doesn't realize that she has a problem that needs attention right away; and other than my sister and me its like no one in my family wants to help us to make her realize that we care and we want her to get help.

She constantly, talks to herself, says off the wall type of stuff, curses, and screams, bangs on the wall or tables, physically abuses herself(such as just hitting herself in the head with just her hand...nothing extreme that with inanimate objects or weapons..no nothing like that), excessive smoking(she would smoke until the end of time if she could...thats how often she lights up...its just one after another)....and plus poor hygiene.

I have recently decided to have my sister keep a video journal to help with our caseI(I don't live in the household). I'm basically, feed up and frustrated with the legal system. I want to be granted guardian of her so that I can have better control on what the doctors do or decide to do for her.

I would like to be hopitalized longer that 36 hours to get a true diagnosis and treatment plan. Is there any advice on how to approach her to possibly make her get evaluated willingly (I have court forced hospitalizations because she gets picked up by a peace officer...ie police). Any legal or personal advice or thoughts on my situation is welcomed.