Sister being committed tomorrow

LegacyUser

So...my sister is being committed / sectioned tomorrow.

Mum signed the papers at the doctors today. Doctor coming tomorrow afternoon. Guards and ambulance will be waiting nearby...

She's 35 and went to the UK last week but ran out of money. Had to ring home to get my Mum to book her a ticket home. This after she turned up on her cousin's doorstep out of the blue asking could she stay.

She said she was going over because she had a job, then that she won the lotto. She's back home but still delusional, says she's pregnant, that she's suing the hospital she's under (she's on a low protein PKU diet, which she's not keeping to - says shes on 30 exchanges, when she should probably be on 5 - 10 perhaps, isn't taking her daily maxamum supplement). Says a character in Buffy The Vampire Slayer is her friend, thinks she's being stalked.

Is she likely to get better or could the situation - and she get worse?

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has any experience of this.

red_ice

sometimes these things can manifest from stress - so i've heard. Did she live a stressful life?

Canis Lupus

She could get better or worse. My uncle was mad and was in and out of the mental hospital when he was alive. Towards the end he was just mostly in the hospital.

But that's him and not her but no one is going to be able to tell you what's going to happen. She'll either come around or not.

MissThing

I feel for you, your sister and the rest of your family during this stressful and frightening time.

I have some experience of this, a friend of mine, earlier this year went through a delusional spell, for about a week. He thought he was being chased by terrorists and disappeared for days/nights on end. Eventually he was picked up and arrested for threatening people and he assaulted a couple of guards. After an assessment by a police doctor he was placed in St. Vincent’s for assessment. There he was sedated for 2 days and eventually through medication and counselling his treatment began.

We don't know why it happened, he'd been under some stress, probably more than his peers, but still manageable.

Another friend of mine who was diagnosed as bi-polar went through a similar experience come to think of it.

The brain is a very delicate organ, most people have a balance of hormones and chemicals (serotonin) swishing around in there. Others do not and this deficit can be addressed most typically by anti-depressants, lithium etc. Treatment, depending on the severity, can range from short term, 6months-ish to a life time of management through medication.

On the upside, your sister is home, home and safe and cared for by your mother who is now her guardian. The best way forward now is to arm yourselves with as much information as you can about her condition when she's been assessed by the psychiatrists. Be strong for each other when the anger sets in, and it will. If you want to PM me please do.

Take care of each other.
MT

Elessar

Mental illness is a terrible thing.

She may not go quietly and I suggest you are not around when they come for her, as it may turn out to be a horrible, stressful experience.

Nobody knows if she will get better or not, these things are drawn out and hard to understand. I feel for you.

I don't know what else to say. I hope everything works out in the end.

LegacyUser

thanks for all replies.

Have to be positive and hope she gets better I guess. At this stage it's a last resort as she's a danger to herself and just going to decline even further if she's left to her own devices.

She did seem to get stressed in the last job she was in. She told me one time that her job and the relationship she was in were just too much and she couldn't cope.

I think the fella she was with tended to pressurise her and possibly wanted more from it than she did. They broke up anyhow, then she got a bit obsessed with her boss, then some other guy, then was with a brazilian guy for a while, and now I think she believes she's with the character from the Buffy programme.

I've got out of the house anyway - the doctor will be there at 2pm...

My brother was suicidal last Xmas and diagnosed with mild schizophrenia, he's on medication and doing ok.

At this rate I'm kind of wondering if I'll be in to see the shrinks sometime next year...

Dizzyblonde

I know someone who was severely mentally ill and delusional and spent some time in a psychiatric unit. She was very well looked after and once they found the right medication for her and worked with her through counselling etc she was stable enough to go home.
She has a very good quality of life now. Although it was very traumatic for everyone involved at the time, it was the best thing for the person involved.
Try not to worry too much, your sister will be in good hands and in the long run she'll thank your mother for it. Without the intervention she probably would have gotten worse.

Latchy

Quote Elsser - Mental illness is a terrible thing.

Giving that depression is considered a mental illness and a large per cent of the population is struck down with it at some time or other ,it's not so much it's a terrible thing , it's the stigma that is attached to it, one which society is trying to dispel and the OP's description of what her sister has expierenced is obiously the extreme of the condition which can be hard at time to diognose.On can only say to OP ,lets us hope it goes as smoothly as possible for your sister and the family ,and also hopefully with care and medication she is back with her family soon .

Victor

Unregd wrote:

Is she likely to get better or could the situation - and she get worse?

We don't know. But surely things must get better from being in another country with no money?

I imagine things will get better, but expect set backs.

LegacyUser

'Again, thanks for all replies.

Seems it all went reasonably ok. Doctor spoke to her and then initially my sister said "well I'm a doctor and there's nothing wrong with me".

The dr also said they know she's not pregnant because she had a recent blood test and that her protein levels have been 5 times what they should be.

My sister got upset and then the guards came and a bangarda (female guard)gently and tactfully helped her pack some clothes and things. I think my sister protested a little bit but not crazily or violently or anything, then she was taken in the ambulance to Newcastle in north Wicklow - my Dad knows others who have been there.

So she'll be assessed and they've got all the PKU food she needs to try and get her back eating properly.

I think all things considered my Mum is fairly positive about it, as are the rest of us. So fingers crossed at this stage and hope for the best.'

jimmy rodgers

Hi, my sister has been committed many many times over the past few years.

I would say definately do not be there when they come for her as it is not pretty and not easy for a family member to get over. She sounds like she is manic and I dont think there is really a "cure" - how long it takes her to get better depends on how long she has been manic and ultimately depends on whether or not she realises that there is anything wrong with her - like an alcoholic or drug addict there is nothing you can do to MAKE someone better (i.e. MAKE them take their medication) unless they realise there is something wrong - that might take a scare like your sister just had or it might go on and on till she hits rock bottom. Hopefully she is not stubborn like my sister....

Anyway, I think you probably have had some experience of all the above with your brother? I was worried about the hereditary aspects of this too when my sister first got sick cause its the most horrendous thing, I worried about having kids as well in case I had to spend my later years chasing a maniac who despises me around the world, I still think about it.

There is no answer really, I suppose the only thing is the more open you are about a relative of yours being mentally ill the more you are surprised at how many other families are in exactly the same situation