OT: help needing in getting help to cope with a mentally ill person

It might come to that. But if he was in his home would they remove him?

Bill

No they'd taser him.

Bill

I'll discuss this, but I fear we might be going over old ground.

She'd never do it. I'm nearly certain anyway.

Bill

I'm on good terms with our councillor. OK, I'll have a chat with him.

Bill

It's her son, and she's a loyal mum. That's part of the problem. I think the only thing she'll accept is that he is sectioned and put in a secure unit.

Bill

I think we'll have to try that.

Bill

She's asked for the medication to revert to what he used to be on and they gave her three tablets!

Bill

Yes, that sounds promising. I'm just trying to collect ideas here.

Bill

Of course I'll never know the exact detail, but the GP intervention after he was told his patient wasn't taking prescribed medication seemed to move things along very quickly. What had a dragged on for months led to sectioning within days.

The GP will probably give her antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds and leave it at that. Probably better to get social services involved with her as the client to protect her from harm. If she already received care from the council then it's relatively straightforward. Social workers are not as bad or ineffective as they used to be and they have a lot of statutory powers.

You could also make a referral as a member of the public to the Adult Safeguarding team at the council, although when I did this out of concern about an aunt who was being exploited by her half-mad son my referral got bounced around social services until I was exhausted chasing it up any further.

If he's been in a secure unit for years then that's as serious as it gets and surely he must have his own social worker.

That is my first thought, also you need to see what charities are around which cover this scenario in your area. I know that many local disability charities do attempt to advocate on such things, as often the people concerned seem to fall through the cracks between medical and social services. Something that part of the new care act is supposed to stop happening but if you wait for laws to be written you could wait for ever in my experience. The trouble also is that medics tend to just prescribe some kind of brain numbing medication then give the person back to the carer. There are Carers network, but I'm not sure how they work myself. Brian

How interesting. I would like to be a prison visitor but cannot be one as I do a lot of work in prisons.

If she has to go out and leave him, or take him with her, then that may be an issue. Obviously the problem is that the sick person has the right to be independent and many organisations tend to try not to get involved as it can be a minefield in today's politically correct world in my experience.

Brian

I wonder what the diagnosis was in fact. IE is it a problem with brain damage or is it a curable or at least controllable syndrome. Somebody must know. To my mind if an adult acts like a child it can be very dangerous to everyone. If there is no communication at all then a hospital has to be the best place for him. Brian

Because I am human and working in prisons has changed my view on them.

Most of the detainees were just ordinary folk, who had done something bad. There, but for the grace of God ...

The Camden Ripper was just an ordinary bloke, with mental health issues, who chopped a couple of women up.

The scariest ones were a couple of Yardies. They were just totally pee'd off at having been caught, and they oozed anger.

Do prisoners want to be "visited"?

Yup. Sadly, the things prisons tend to be best at is turning minor criminals into major ones. The numbers in there necessary to actually protect society only a small percentage.

Some prisoners, because of their crimes are often moved to prisons far away from home. This makes it difficult for family to visit. Sometimes family do not want to visit.

When on the wings I have some good chats and banter with the prisoners.

So much so that when the staff canteen was closed due to Covid and I could not purchase any lunch one of the lads serving the food to the prisoners gave me a spare meal.