There are doctors on this forum, but I'm not sure any are psychiatrists, and in any case I don't think any respectable medical doctor would diagnose over the internet, particularly something as difficult and potentially life-altering as a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
I understand that, I'm just trying to get an idea of what the right avenue for help here is and if the suggestions above regarding schizo disorders might be the direction to look into, or if it sounds like a more garden variety depression and laziness that is getting blown out of proportion. With the number of users on here, hopefully someone is a psychiatrist or has first hand experience dealing with people with these disorders and can share their opinion.
I do understand a little about the difficult situation you are looking at here, and your desire to help your brother and your parents. Your brother has gone from being a high-flying academic and business success to someone who is not currently functioning as an independent adult, and that must be painful and frustrating to live with.
As long as your brother is not a danger to himself or others and is unwilling to undergo medical treatment, he is in a situation in which he is not able to help himself but at the same time there is no right for anyone else to force help upon him. This is a familiar dilemma for anyone dealing with mental illness in the family. I think you and your parents calling the NAMI hotline for advice is a very good idea: yours is not the first family in this situation and won't be the last, so taking expert advice from people familiar with the options sounds to me like your best course of action.
I would be especially wary of trying to attach labels to your brother's condition without a formal diagnosis from a psychiatrist or psychologist who has had sufficient opportunities to make a proper assessment of him and offer treatment. Without accompanying treatment, any label attached to your brother can be of no help to him, and could harm the way others act towards him.
