by Dr. Lorin Bradbury
Question: My husband sits and broods or pouts in the dark—the darker the better. He has no trouble sleeping. He either wants to sleep all the time or just sit in the dark. He has a very dark personality, is very cruel and cold and is psychotic. He won’t get help and thinks there’s nothing wrong with him. Should I be afraid?
Answer: You have not given me enough information to know if you should be afraid. I also don’t know where you live or the laws of the State in which you live. You used the words “psychotic” and “very cruel.” That would be enough for me to suggest that you request some form of a welfare check by the appropriate authorities. I would suggest you start by contacting a local community mental health center. If you don’t get any satisfaction, contact law enforcement and if you are afraid let that be known. You may be able to obtain an involuntary commitment for purpose of an evaluation to assess the risk he poses to himself or others.
Lorin L. Bradbury, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Bethel. For appointments, he can be reached at 543-3266. If you have questions that you would like Dr. Bradbury to answer in the Delta Discovery, please send them to The Delta Discovery, P.O. Box 1028, Bethel, AK 99559, or e-mail them to [email protected].
