Mental illness

Smoluski ...I've a message for dear Nellie - You are a marvellous lady. Enough saud!

She is indeed - and so are you!

Thank you both you and Ilove you too xxxx

It's Christmas Day and once again our plans have been hijacked by the need to respond to a situation brought about by the mental illness of our relative. I am so sad for him and for all of those who spend Christmas affected, either first hand or vicariously, by this awful illness.

If you are caring for a loved one, or suffering yourself then I send my heartfelt good wishes for a day of peace and calm.

Oh dear, GA...I hope you can rescue some of it. It has happened to me too, before now.

Seconded.

Love to you ga and I'll have some of your calm and peace!

ga you are a saint, I hope there's some joy in your day

Big (((hugs))) and lots of love ga. I hope things settle down for all of you. I can imagine what you're dealing with, and how distressing it can become. There'll hopefully be one or two people helping out who can hold on to their sense of humour and assist you whilst things get back under control.

ga I hope by now you have managed to find some calm and rest after a difficult morning. Thinking of you. x

Hope things have settled a bit for you and your relative, ga. xx

The day is ended and nobody died!! I am very grateful.
Thanks (once again) for good wishes; I won't bore you with the details, but the last two days have been very worrying and the mental health services in this instance are a joke.
Still, the family managed to not only get through the day, but to enjoy being together as much as we were able and to support one another. My children are amazing and cared less for their Christmas plans (which went awry in a big way) than for the feelings of others. I am very proud of them and their spouses.

I'm sorry to hear that your Christmas went awry. But it's brilliant that you had support from your wonderful children. As you said, nobody died. So there's hope for better things. May 2013 be a really good year for you and yours.

grannya {{{huigs}}}

Sadly, when I said nobody died I actually did mean that there was a real possibility of someone dying! We're all heaving a sigh of relief that, once more, disaster has been averted for now, but wondering how on earth we can keep certain family members safe in view of a severe and enduring psychosis which is left untreated by mental health teams that are stretched to the limit and have no beds available to admit the person. I am frustrated beyond words. And permanently afraid!

wow granny-a what a thing to have to deal with. Your family have done very well, good on all of you, it's just - as you say - what do you do?! What next? I have great sympathy as I have experience of a family member who had a psychotic episode and it is very frightening. That fear never quite leaves one, even knowing it was an episode rather than enduring. And it made me acutely aware of how fragile mental health is, it slips and slides. That's the only way I can describe it, you cannot contain it when it is 'unhinged'. No wonder people used to use that expression.

Oh my goodness, GrannyA I was assuming depression rather than psychotic. It's horrendous how stretched our medical services are, especially over Christmas. I do hope a bed comes available soon. It's appalling that situations like this develop when the MH team are aware but cannot or will not do anything.

In angry tears!
Psychotic relative is in desperate need of (although doesn't want) hospitalisation. Just got off the phone to his mental health team. His CPN is away, the person covering for his CPN is away, his consultant is away on training. I finally managed to speak to his consultant's secretary who will 'pass on a message' when her boss phones in later today. In the meantime I have an aggressive paranoid schizophrenic relative who is in the same town as my in laws and has already visited them and scared them half to death. Waiting for the phone to ring to say if they've been able to contact local MH team and get help. He needs to be sectioned (again) and TREATED. Last time he was sectioned he had no medication change and as he's psychotic no amount of talking therapy is going to make a jot of difference.
I want to scream and bang my head in frustration!!!!!
I am truly afraid that someone will be hurt or worse before appropriate action will be taken.

ga this sounds like you should be calling the police is you are worried someone could get hurt. It must be so frustrating not to be able to contact the right people. Can the GP help? You can't do this on your own, get help now! Please don't take it all on your own shoulders.

Please let us know who it goes. big hug

Yes, the police WILL be called this time although it will break my in-laws hearts to do so. I've just informed them that they can do it or I will, but it must be done.

Oh grannyactivist What a dreadful situation for you and your family. As Movedalot has just said it seems so much for you to cope with on your own. When my mum was seriously ill (physical not mental illness) I too was messed around terribly by doctors and consultants and found it very difficult to be taken seriously. I ended up dialling 999 and pouring it all out to the service operator . Mind you it worked as within the hour my mum had an acute care team at the door. Thinking of you GA and hoping you get the help you need and deserve.

If he seems very disturbed and in a public place the police could take action and take him to a place of safety for an assessment. ?Sec136 I think.
I am not sure they could do it if he is in someones home or front garden though?

GrannyA (((hugs)))

Definitely worth a try though, the police, if no help from NHS. Desperate isnt it.

The police are usually much more decisive than some other agencies.

For a person to be sectioned they need to be assessed by a doctor and a senior social worker who has been specially trained.

It's a horrible situation to be in, but sometimes there is no alternative.

Oh, ga I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this torment again. I hope help is given very quickly. They need to listen to you, as you obviously know what needs doing when he gets to this critical stage.