Mental health care in England,advice/concerns.sister on section.

Fran

rainydaze wrote: »

...she does smoke too much weed..... I think shes too reliant and can mess with her head,encouraging the paranoid thoughts.

I have heard of too many people over the years where smoking weed has been part of paranoid thoughts and hospitalization. Who is selling to her or is it something no-one can do anything about?

He has brain tumours which cant be operated on,which of course is another major worry.

Your family will have to discuss the future of the little girl - has this been done? Who will look after her when he dies?

She has also racked up some hefty debts....

.......she has run out of funds,and I guess it wont be long before bailiffs will be at her door.

Can someone help with this - will she allow a family member to deal with her paperwork?

And maybe I can help her sort herself out.But at the same time I'm constantly worried shes going to top herself,and if she did I could almost understand it,she really is going through sh*t.But I need to all I can to save her,I dont want her kids to have to have the grief of losing their mum for ever,they both adore her.

Yes you definitely are a major part in this and your support will help. Re the worry about suicide - there are questions you can ask someone to find out how serious they might be, ask at Sheffield Mind. You need to find this out for YOU as well as her as you have a lot to deal with as well.

fluffytrollop

Hey, I'm so sorry to hear you have this situation to deal with. Sounds very familiar, without going into reams of detail. Basically, she has a great deal of rights which are affected if under section. Sounds like paranoid schizophrenia type thing. My bro has had this for 30 odd years now. A basic legal rights site such as the community legal service will give you as much info as you need. Make a list and start with the first one. No order is necessary at this point.
Apologies if I'm repeating anything said already, just quick post, but I also think, with regard to self medicating, weed is about the worst thing as it increases paranoia symptoms massively, scullcap is a pretty effective herb which deals with anxiety.Look it up. Trouble is, once you're in the world of psychopharmacology god only knows what could happen. But, self medication is what a heck of a lot of people do when they 'unwind with a pint/glass of wine/scotch/whatever' so it aint up to anyone to point the finger, Dad or otherwise. Sorry but I think your Pa's a bit out of order.
Re suicide, there is virtually nothing anyone can do to prevent this, if that is the course of action chosen but being on a section can at least keep her somewhere where she's going to have a lot less opportunity. Even if it doesn't seem that secure it will be noted if she's trying to leave but not allowed.

Jet

Having had some family experience of this. I will say, please, please, please make sure that the children are cared for.

Just because she is your sister and the childrens mother it does not mean that she is the best person to bring them up.

Children are innocent and should be protected. A child will be emotionally damaged by living with someone who is clearly not well and delusional. The younger the child, the worse it will be.

The mental health system in this country is sorely lacking.

Have you spoken with her psychiatrist? They might insist that your sister is there with you, but I think you need to find out the long term situation and a diagnosis. Symptoms do sound like paranoid schizophrenia to me, which can be controlled with medication but of course, she may well believe that the medication is her "problem" and simply stop taking it. Patients under section will be "forced" to have medication - quite often by depot injections which will be in her interest een though she may not agree with it.

trace_567

You might be able to get some of the answers to your questions by speaking to the staff at the hospital. I can only advise from how thing work where I live, and what I have learned from being a patient myself over the years.
Firstly there are different categories of hospital, they may however all be under one roof but be divided into wards. Locally where I live they are divided into ECA (extra care area), Acute, Sub-acute and rehabilitation. By what you have said I would think she should fall into ECA category, or at the very least Acute.
She will likely have a Named nurse, this will be a nurse that has been allocated to her as her primary nurse. You could try ringing them and make a appointment to speak to her Primary nurse. It will likely be easier to get hold of them and see them than her psychiatrist.
They should be able to answer questions such as:

If the area she is being cared for in is acute, ECA (however they may well name them differently)
What level sectioning she is on, and restrictions this imposes on her.
If she is getting any kind of therapy.
What medications she is on.
What length section she is on.
If she has a social worker.
etc

You can then perhaps whilst speaking to them tell them of your concerns, such as the fact she can just walk out. Her housing concerns etc.

You could request to be present at her ward round, when she will be seen by the psychiatrist and other members of staff. This is when the psychiatrist will make decisions on her medication etc. This would also give you a chance to air your concerns.
Obviously there may be things that staff cannot speak to you about under confidentially reasons.
I hope this helps.

squashy

I can sympathise with you. My brother was sectioned after a number of phsychotic episodes in his late teens. He had always been the gentlest boy but suddenly became very agressive towards my mum and me, arming himself with a kitchen knife. He was taken into hospital and heavily sedated & treated for around 6 weeks before being allowed home. I have to say I thought I had lost him and it really affected me badly. I was 20 at the time.

But I have to say that he has turned his life around. He completely gave up smoking skunk/cannabis (which is what we all feel led to his breakdown) and was fantastic at keeping on top of his medication. He even managed to wean himself off it eventually but would be vigilant about the signs to look out for should he start to wobble, and then he'd seek help.

10 years down the line he is living independantly but not only that he is working as a home carer/mentor for people with mental health problems! He is very dedicated to his job as he feels he can really help people. Before he was training as a baker! He still knows that underneath he is bi-polar but he is completely in control of it. He has a girlfriend as isa caring uncle and godfather to my children.

I just wanted to reasure you that while it may all seem very scary now, thre is a good chance that everything will work out ok in the end.

I hope you are able to get some answers soon,

Best wishes
K xxx

jannyannie

Hi
Sending love to you. Go and see the ward manager, insist on it. Take a list of questions you want to ask about your sisters safety. If you're not happy, tell him /her you want to take out an informal complaint. They are responsible for keeping your sister safe when she is unwell, perhaps she needs to go to a more appropriate environment such as an all female ward. Does she have a community psychiatric nurse? Talk to them, get them on your side! Good luck.

bestpud

Sorry you're having such a tough time at the moment.

My advice would be to write to the ward manager and ask for an appointment to discuss some queries you have regarding your sister. State that you are aware of confidentiality issues (this can be the biggest barrier in obtaining advice from staff in my experience and is maybe the reason you've not had much joy so far) but that you are concerned and would like to ask a few questions.

Also, do try Mind as they can be very useful sources of advice, and may be able to support you and your sister once she leaves hospital too.

Lastly, I may be wrong but I don't think they are 'allowing' her to leave as such. I can understand 100% why you are worried but my guess is she is making constant attempts to leave and hads unfortunately slipped through the net twice. I know that is not acceptable at all (please don't think I am excusing this as the dangers are apparent) but I guess I'm just saying it probably isn't as easy for her to leave as you think.

Best wishes, I hope things settle soon,

Bestpud

Newly_retired

You have had lots of really supportive comments and advice here and I can only echo them. My sister has had mental health problems for years and is currently sectioned - the ward is locked ( for all, even those not sectioned ) and all comings and goings are watched, so I am surprised that conditions are not the same for your sister. I do hope that you get some answers and that the situation improves. These things take time.

cattie

Unfortunately it is the policy of many mental health wards to have an open door policy, but there should always be a member of staff on door watch, to ensure that no patient without permission to leave the ward is able to do so.

As somebody who has been a patient in mental health wards, I have to say that the attitude of some staff is appauling & their approach is far from caring or understanding.

I'd definitely contact the ward manager about your concerns over your sister's safety & well being whilst under section.

LondonDiva

As suggested, the best place to start would be the ward manager or the PALS (patient advice & liasion service) team. On many mental health sites, there are also advice and advocacy services availabel which the PALS team can give you details about.

To find PALS look up the trust o www.nhs.uk and check under the contact details there.

however, I would strongly urge you to avoid making a complaint until you actually know what the situation is and what is the rationale behind decisions made about your sister's care.

There is a difference between knowing what is going on and being unhappy about it and launching straight into a complaint as a way of gaining information or clarifying concerns as suggested on some posts.

The majority of staff will want to help, but you will need to let them know about it. If you are unable to get in touch with the ward manager because of timings etc, you would be best with PALS as they can chase up information for you and get back to you.

Good luck