Dear Jacob:
Mental illness is very common, unfortunately. Mental distress is very common- read the threads here on tiny buddha from 2013 and on and you can see how common it is. This is very unfortunate. I wish it wasn’t so, yet what can you do about it? Heal yourself from what you need to heal from, take care of yourself and then try to help others… in moderation, while not losing yourself.

He wants to be institutionalized, you write, probably feels out of control and needs the structure. I hope he does get institutionalized then. you wrote that his parents are well off, I think? Then maybe they can find a good institution for him- where he can get the structure he needs and the healing so that he can later function better on the outside.
anita