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My father is 63 and is diabetic he wantscto move to an isolated part of the woods And live off the land he also has depression that he refuses treatment for. I had him in the hospital for his depression shorty after his mother died in 2014 when I was advised by the police he has an obsession with guns and westerns murder mysteries and survivalism shows he is obsessed with living off the grid he wants to raise chickens and rabbits to eat but when he sits and watches TV he has to sit and watch them and the world stopps. Help I need advice on how to get him the help he needs.

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Firekickinggirl, has your Dad ever gone camping? If not, probably the TV shows sound so relaxing, away from every day life as he knows it. But does he understand how much is involved?

One things that might change Dad's mind is asking him what about emergency care? It might take an ambulance an hour to get to him, and you as his child wouldn't want to see his suffer while waiting for help. Sometimes that is a wake-up call for those who feel the calling to be a hermit.

You can get information off the Internet, and then start up conversations with Dad. Like, how will he get water? Electricity? Go to the bathroom? Wash his clothes? Keep any meat cool if there is no electricity? Would he need to change vehicles and get himself a 4-wheel drive? Where will he find this land? Will he build his own log cabin? Will he cut down his own trees? Etc. Anywho that will keep conversations going and maybe that is all he needs.
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Has he ever raised chickens or rabbits? Does he hunt? Has he killed and dressed animals? Plucked birds? I'm just wondering how much of this obsession is pure fantasy and how much is based at least in part on experience.

I agree with CM that a call to his doctor might be useful. Doc can probably not give you specific info about your dad, but he/she can say things like, "The way to get a loved one committed for evaluation is ...."

When he was hospitalized in 2014 did he get relief from his depression?
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Well, the obsessions may turn out to be useful. Call your PCP/GP, explain about the increasing obsessions with guns and survival techniques, say you're worried he's flipping from neurosis (the depression) to psychosis (actually going nuts) and ask how you get him committed for psychiatric assessment.

Does he in fact have any guns? You might want to mention that, too, if he has.
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