does she need to be sectioned

[emmacarr]

my friend is depressed and suffers from ptsd (post tramatic stress disorder) and in the past 6 months has taken 4 over doeses one of which was nearly leathel so i now have all her pills and she has to come and get them daily off me however she has now started to cut her wrists. im very worried i am her legal gaurdian / next of kin should i try to get her sectioned?

[scotgal]

You are obviously a good friend to have but doesn't she get any proper help from the medical profession apart from drugs?

[Eve]

Some information on the services available for help and emergencies...

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Hea lthAndSupport/MentalHealth/DG_10023332

Did she get medical assistance for the overdoses and what, if anything, was done then? Did they refer her for any assessment or therapy or other treatment?

Would she go in for help voluntarily? Preferable that way if any though if she is a danger to herself or others then you need professional help for her to be assessed and treated properly.

[emmacarr]

she has been waiting for therapy for a year now and ive tryed chacing it up but end up going around in curcels she is waiting for counceling which she has been waiting for 2 months its like one one cares what happenes to her

[emmacarr]

when she was addmited for the overdose she was kept in for 3 days just on the emergancy admisions unit saw a doctor the day she arived and the day she left and saw the dsh (delearate self harm) team who said would chace up couceling and therapy but still heard nothing

[Eve]

Waiting lists for counselling on the NHS can be lengthy but priorities should be used as to how immediate her need for help is.

Is there any way of financing private therapy for her?

Could you get her GP or community mental health team to organise a hospital stay to organise an assessment for her?

Awful as it sounds, she is probably less of a priority than those who have no carers and cannot cope on their own and are a danger to others such as those with violent tendancies.

[pandora_isme]

Is she under the care of the local community mental health team. if not she should see her doctor and ask to be referred. If she is, you can phone them and express your concerns. If she is engaging with them, then they won't tell you anything but may try to talk to her.
If your friend is an immediate danger to herself or others,then you can apply for an assessment by an approved social worker(at anytime 24 hrs a day), who could then take the decision to section her.
This is if you are in England... I'm not sure if it applies to other parts of the country but I would think its similar.

[Eve]

There are a number of organisation here...

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Us efulContactsByCategory/DisabledPeopleContacts/ SpecificNeedsContacts/DG_10014900

I'd start by calling MIND to see if any of them can help her get some help any quicker as they may know of resources or possibilities that others don't.

I really hope you both get the help that you need.

[Rosetta]

Contact her GP as soon as possible.
Does she have a CPN or consultant psychiatrist?
Some areas have out of office hours support from the Mental Health Team, you could contact them. You or she can contact the Samaritans, their phone number will be i.n the directory
To be sectioned she would need to be assessed by her doctor (s) It might not be necessary but would depend on the assessment of her mental state and risks

[emmacarr]

financing therapy for her would be imposible she lives on benifits �22.50 a week and my partner earns just enough to support our family her family are useless and do not even emotionally support her. how would i go about hetting her assessed by a social worker when her social worker only seams to care about if she is in an ok enough state to see her daughter?

[Eve]

Some more info about sectioning here...

http://www.rethink.org/living_with_mental_illn ess/rights_and_laws/laws_you_need_to_know_abou t/mental_health_act/index.html

[Rosetta]

Voice your concerns to those involved in her care. Is the Social worker for her or the child?

[emmacarr]

for both i think the social worker has been around for 5 years the daughter is only 3 and a half although at the moment it seams as though she is for the daughter

[Rosetta]

In some areas they have specialist social workers attached to a mental health team and then separate social workers for the child. Voice your concerns to those involved in her care. Her GP should know what is available locally and who to refer her to.
Without knowing details, cutting arms etc can be a coping strategy, but you do need advice from the doctors who know her

[chattykathy]

Your friend's GP should alert the local mental health team. They will do an assessment & if they believe she is a danger to herself or to others they will admit her into psychiatric hospital. It will be better for her too if she goes voluntarily. Hopefully she should then get a care plan so you can see what she is entitled to. I'm sure you will have to start with the GP.

Good luck xx

[emmacarr]

she took an overdose last night and is back in hospital but thank you for all your help hopefully now she bk there she will get the help she needs

[Rosetta]

emmacarr, I hope she gets better and you both get the support you need . let us know how you get on

[Eve]

Hopfully so and some good will come from such a sad sitation.

Let us know how she is doing x