BR and Jail?

sunshine124

hi guys,

my friend has not really co operated with the OR, as she is currently feeling really depressed after the BR, she doesn't answer her phone, which has led to the OR being very angry as my friend doesn't answer her calls or anyones calls at that. I am worried for her as she has told me that the OR has threatened her with a public enquiry which could lead to a warrant being issued for her arrest!

Could someone please tell me what the worst can happen if she continues not to co operate and answer her phone? i have told her to go for counselling or speak to a doctor who she can confide in, but she can't bring herself to deal with her problem of depression, i am really worried for her,

any advice would be highly appreciated.

blind-as-a-bat_2

She could be held in contempt of court wich can carry a 1 to 3 month custodial sentence depending on the type of court that issues it.

However even if it got to that it would almost crertainly be a suspended sentence and i doubt it would even get tto that if her mental health is in question

sunshine124

thx for the reply, but how would someone know if she has a mental health problem if she doesn't go to a doctor? i mean can u tell if someone has a mental health problem?

blind-as-a-bat_2

If you want to help your friend is there any way you can you get a docter to put in writing that she is in such a state she cant deal with it and then send that to her OR?

blind-as-a-bat_2

Sorry cross posted with your reply aprouch er docter yourself with your concerns and see if there is anything they can do

sunshine124

I have actually been to the doctor and asked the doctor if she can help in any way, but the doctor says that she cannot discuss anything to do with another patient, doctor patient confidentiality or something.

so thats why i am worried for her, and i can't force her but she just wont go

blind-as-a-bat_2

unless you fear she may be at risk so to speak then you are stuck in the middle, i would have hoped though that you concerns would be listened too by her GP and if deemed serious enough, acted on

sunshine124

the truth is , i am suspicious of her, i think she may have a drug problem the way she acts, but i have asked her, and she totally refuses, and says there is nothing of the sort. I dont push her as i dont want to lose her friendship, but she still worries me.

if my suspicions are right about her problem, then will the OR be harder on her? whats the procedure of dealing with this sort of thing?

blind-as-a-bat_2

I dont think there is one contacting the OR my be an idea and put them in the picture but weather they will listen iether i dont know

as for or making it harder that is a hard one to comment on to be honest

Broken_hearted

You can't help her until she is willing to help herself.

wherediditallgo

sunshine124 wrote: »

I have actually been to the doctor and asked the doctor if she can help in any way, but the doctor says that she cannot discuss anything to do with another patient, doctor patient confidentiality or something.

so thats why i am worried for her, and i can't force her but she just wont go

The doctor is right, to a point. Yes, they can't discuss another patient with someone else except with the person's permission. However, if someone has concerns about someone's mental health, they can take them to a duty & assessment service linked to the local community mental health team without going through the GP. If the local service has the facility, they would get seen by a duty doctor who'd then pass their case to the relevant community mental health team, & they'd decide what help to give, if any. The thing is, whatever was decided would totally leave you out of the loop unless (a) you were on the paperwork as 'nearest relative', 'next of kin' or as someone your friend wanted to be kept informed on her treatment, or (b) your friend was unable to make decisions for themselves, & gave your name as their advocate or appointee. Even if she does have a drug problem, that wouldn't necessarily get her the letter you think she'll need for the OR, as mental health services usually deal with the primary problem & the client has to agree to deal with that. If it was decided that her primary problem was drugs, she'd have to agree to a programme of gradually reducing her usage with a separate team, & she'd be unlikely to get a mental health diagnosis solely on the basis of that, because using drugs doesn't mean you have a mental health problem. I've had more than one drug user tell me they know drugs aren't good for them long-term but they sort out the short-term, so they're going to keep using them. If your friend thinks like that, she won't get diagnosed with a mental health problem or even a drug problem if she can show that she's functioning well in other areas in her life, & it's certainly possible to fool people into thinking things are better than they are. If she's not prepared to discuss her problems, it's quite likely that she wouldn't even reveal how debts & going BR have affected her.

As much as you care about your friend, I think this is something she has to deal with herself. She won't thank you for any kind of intervention on mental health grounds, because she doesn't believe she has a problem in that area. I think your best bet is to ring any of the debt charities in my signature & ask if they know of any counselling services that could help her deal with how having to go BR has affected her, then give her the list of names & telephone numbers. If she's prepared to contact them & accept help from them, they may provide her with a letter to help explain to the OR why she's been out of contact. That will all take time, but what she'd need to do now is tell the OR in writing what's been going on & let them know she's trying to get help. You're trying to be a good friend, but ultimately this is down to her. From the OR's point of view, she's stalling & the refusal to take his calls makes it look like she's got something to hide. The OR isn't going to wait indefinitely, & unless she makes contact in one form or another, the OR could well go the court route. That might seem harsh, but the OR can only take something into account if they actually know about it. She's got to make contact with the OR - apart from giving her details of services to contact, the only thing you can do is tell her the possible consequences of not contacting the OR & be there to support her if she asks you for help.