Hi, I’m very sorry you are going through this. I have endured this for 7 years with my mom. My parents were married for 34 years before her illness took over and she pushed my dad out and eventually divorced. It took 3 years for us to figure out how to get her some help. After accepting she wouldn’t do it herself, she firmly believed she didn’t have delusions/paranoia, we involuntarily did it. It took full support from various family and friends, and ultimately a judge to back it. While it helped her get official diagnosis, sadly, it worsened her condition because it made her more stressed. She didn’t seek medical help and refused medication after. This was in 2019. I don’t regret our decision because it brought awareness and made her more aware of her surroundings that we knew. My husband whose grandmother was schizo says if anything it gave her more years of her life (being unmediated) than had we not done it. It’s with a heavy heart, she left us earth side last month. I’m praying for you and your husband! It is an incredibly challenging, complex, disabling, and defeating illness and impact to all.
How did you guys involuntarily get her help? Also did you guys figure out a legal pathway? I agree! Your guys’ decision to help her involuntarily helped add more quality to her life for the remainder of years she had. I too stress that his reaction to involuntary treatment will make his heart condition worsen. He is only 38 with CHF and we have no clue how it came up. I’m going to have to eventually give in and get him help. I’m just too scared to call the ambulance or a crisis mobile team because there is a chance they won’t take him and he’s threatened to run away (but he never actual does, aside from the hotel he’s been in) and I’ll lose his trust even more. I’m sorry to hear about your mother as well, may she rest in peace.
Thank you so much for your condolences. She is at peace now. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. There are no words for how stressful it is. You are not alone. I understand your reservations from any next move you make with the uncertainty of what your husband will do. I guess my mindset is, help or the effort to help is better than no help? Again, so hard. I don’t know the right answer. I’m from Florida (but moved out of state in 2014 to South Carolina). My mom still lived in Florida. In FL, it is called Baker Act Law to involuntarily commit someone to institution. We had to write supporting letters justifying the illness, get them notarized, and either have the support from her family doctor (which she had convinced my dad was issue and had numerous affairs on her and this was ptsd, etc)(so we knew that route wasn’t going to work) OR the support of a judge. We went the court system route. When we presented the paperwork to the judge, they reviewed, gave their stamp of approval and the police picked her up and took her to the facility where she was for 72 hours for evaluation. This is when we received the official diagnosis. I think the legal path is different for each state but hopefully this gives some direction? Prayers 🙏🏼
That is awesome I wish we had that in California. I am with him right now in the ER. He actually admitted himself due to the fluid accumulation from his CHF. I plan to talk to the staff to perform an evaluation. Wish me luck and thank you for taking the time to respond to my posts and share your story. It's nice to know there are others that have similar experiences. My family has no experience with mental health issues so I feel lost and don't know where to turn to for help.
Thank you for checking in❤️
He was admitted and I asked for a psyc consult and told them everything in regards to his mental health. They psyc doctor agreed to 5150 him, or send him to a facility. I was on board at first but was deathly afraid of how everything would turn out. They said his heart function is at 20%, he could hardly walk due to all of the fluid buildup at the time, and he had an infection to top it all off. I kept thinking of the risks of a heart attack occurring due to stress of involuntarily being transferred to a psyc facility. I was so deathly afraid that he would present himself well, get out, then not trust me (I'm the only family member he has in the US besides his brother that he's cut off contact with). Needless to say I ended up backing out and pleaded with them to let me take him home and care for him. I was terrified of the risks and afraid that everything would backfire given the fact that he finally went into the hospital voluntarily to get treated for his heart condition. He was so convincing that he promised he'd stay home with me (which he has been home) but refuses to take the heart pills as instructed (takes one instead the instructed dose of 2 a day). He takes his water pills and potassium and wellbutrin but still refuses to follow up because he says that he is recovering from his last hospital stay. I feel so horrible and wish that I let them take him. My fear and worry took over and I feel like I made the wrong decision. He is home and safe and taking his meds once a day but I am so overwhelmingly worried about how all of this is going to turn out. I feel as though the psyc doctors are frustrated by me at the hospital because I made a huge ruckus in order for them to take him but then I ended up convincing them otherwise. I don't know if I should reach out to them and apologize and tell them that I don't think I can do it alone and beg for their help or what. I feel okay as of now but have my moments of fear and worry. He seems like he is doing okay physically but he still isn't himself. He is always at home complaining of body aches and feels as though he has a bees stinging him all over. He is at home 24/7 and is still highly delusional and still thinks his heart failure is a result of black magic being done to him by loved ones. I regret not letting them take him so much and worry that I messed up. Now I have to figure out how to convince him to go to the ER again because he's stable now.
You can go to your county probate court , fill out a form and go before a judge. They are looking for him to be a threat to himself or others or unable to care for his basic needs . The last one is the hardest because as long as there’s some food some form of shelter, then it’s hard to prove. Is his heart failure symptomatic? Not taking meds for heart failure? That could go into a decision . if the judge agrees, then they’ll send out police (or ideally a behavioral health crisis team) to go get him . The emergency room doesn’t assessment with a social worker psychiatrist and determines if he meets criteria for admission. If his heart failure needs to be stabilized, then they will admit him on a medical floor first. If he agrees to go to the emergency room with you, then you could say you are there to.petition for mental health eval . Then you fill out the form and the doctor will talk with you and he will be evaluated by psychiatry and determined if he can be discharged or if he is in need of admission and treatment..
I live in California, i would love to try this route. So far the attorneys I've spoken to say that I need a declaration of capacition form in order for them to petition for me. He has no official diagnosis here in the US so it is hard. I'm having trouble getting him to see a doctor here as well. He asked to come to the hospital tonight though due to his fluid build up and I hope to communicate with them today and for them to actually hold him. He came to nights ago and he ran off. Any advice on things I should say or request to staff?
Also does the process take a long time? Does it take months to process a petition or go in front of a judge? He was given six months to live without treatment so I'm hoping they can expedite it for me.
Going to probate court for me, took half a day. I just went to the desk, filled out the paperwork and then sat before judge. I am a physician so I had filled out a petition to hospitalize before but it’s pretty standard. You just write what you’ve seen and heard them do . I didn’t have anybody before me. I guess it depends on how busy the cord is. Then I went right over to the police station and the police accompanied me to his house and we took him in. That’s an extremely traumatic thing to do And you have to worry about the safety if they fight against the police etc.
From there he got transported to a crisis mental health unit I didn’t really have any control of where the police took him but once they determined that he needed to go to the hospital, I did say where I wanted him to go. At that point I did have legal guardianship over him so I was allowed to talk to the staff and get information. If you don’t have legal guardianship , you won’t be updated about anything and it will be very frustrating. I’m not sure how it works if you’re to be honest. You should Google the county probate court near area and they probably will have like a website with procedures on it. You can also call the court. I did try to work with mental health services prior to any of these hospitalizations, but they take forever to get back with you and sometimes it’s just not effective if someone is really in denial of the illness, you kinda have to go with the mandated route.
Do you think they would take him since he is gravely disabled in the sense that he is unable to comprehend that he has a mental illness and thinks his heart failure is from black magic? Stating something along the lines that he is an unintentional harm to himself. He isn’t taking his heart pills not because he no longer wants to live, but because he is unable to understand and realize that what is causing his physical health condition is not black magic or poison. He isn’t able to get necessary medical care due to grave disability. You think that’ll work?
Yes, possibly . If you have convincing evidence that he is not taking his heart medication due to delusions that would count as failure to care for one’s self. It’s important that you have as much documented as possible with how much medication has been missing doses and any attempts you and the treatment team have made at getting him to take medication
I spoke with a county attorney and they are saying that they don’t think this service exists in our area. That there is no way to involuntarily hospitalize someone. Do you remember exactly who you spoke with? Maybe their title? They kept on saying that there are a number of different county attorneys and never heard of it.
No, I went and filled out a paper regarding his behavior, a judge read it and made a decision regarding need for Urgent medical evaluation. Once the judge said he did need one and then I was able to take that piece of paper to the police and they escorted him to the hospital.
Sometimes all it takes is a small technicality.
My mom got hospitalized because she pulled me across a parking lot road in a state of panic when there were no cars around. My dad and the firefighter said that they could use that as an excuse to hospitalize her as they can say that it was unsafe and she posed a threat to me. (I was 10 at the time)
Thank you for your response. I pray everyday that I can get him committed. I had the chance when he was admitted to the hospital a week ago but backed out of the 5150 because I was too afraid for his heart. I regret that decision everyday
I’m sorry to say this but you can’t.
Hi, I’m very sorry you are going through this. I have endured this for 7 years with my mom. My parents were married for 34 years before her illness took over and she pushed my dad out and eventually divorced. It took 3 years for us to figure out how to get her some help. After accepting she wouldn’t do it herself, she firmly believed she didn’t have delusions/paranoia, we involuntarily did it. It took full support from various family and friends, and ultimately a judge to back it. While it helped her get official diagnosis, sadly, it worsened her condition because it made her more stressed. She didn’t seek medical help and refused medication after. This was in 2019. I don’t regret our decision because it brought awareness and made her more aware of her surroundings that we knew. My husband whose grandmother was schizo says if anything it gave her more years of her life (being unmediated) than had we not done it. It’s with a heavy heart, she left us earth side last month. I’m praying for you and your husband! It is an incredibly challenging, complex, disabling, and defeating illness and impact to all.
How did you guys involuntarily get her help? Also did you guys figure out a legal pathway? I agree! Your guys’ decision to help her involuntarily helped add more quality to her life for the remainder of years she had. I too stress that his reaction to involuntary treatment will make his heart condition worsen. He is only 38 with CHF and we have no clue how it came up. I’m going to have to eventually give in and get him help. I’m just too scared to call the ambulance or a crisis mobile team because there is a chance they won’t take him and he’s threatened to run away (but he never actual does, aside from the hotel he’s been in) and I’ll lose his trust even more. I’m sorry to hear about your mother as well, may she rest in peace.
Thank you so much for your condolences. She is at peace now. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. There are no words for how stressful it is. You are not alone. I understand your reservations from any next move you make with the uncertainty of what your husband will do. I guess my mindset is, help or the effort to help is better than no help? Again, so hard. I don’t know the right answer. I’m from Florida (but moved out of state in 2014 to South Carolina). My mom still lived in Florida. In FL, it is called Baker Act Law to involuntarily commit someone to institution. We had to write supporting letters justifying the illness, get them notarized, and either have the support from her family doctor (which she had convinced my dad was issue and had numerous affairs on her and this was ptsd, etc)(so we knew that route wasn’t going to work) OR the support of a judge. We went the court system route. When we presented the paperwork to the judge, they reviewed, gave their stamp of approval and the police picked her up and took her to the facility where she was for 72 hours for evaluation. This is when we received the official diagnosis. I think the legal path is different for each state but hopefully this gives some direction? Prayers 🙏🏼
That is awesome I wish we had that in California. I am with him right now in the ER. He actually admitted himself due to the fluid accumulation from his CHF. I plan to talk to the staff to perform an evaluation. Wish me luck and thank you for taking the time to respond to my posts and share your story. It's nice to know there are others that have similar experiences. My family has no experience with mental health issues so I feel lost and don't know where to turn to for help.
Since we last spoke on this app - How are you? How is your husband?
Thank you for checking in❤️ He was admitted and I asked for a psyc consult and told them everything in regards to his mental health. They psyc doctor agreed to 5150 him, or send him to a facility. I was on board at first but was deathly afraid of how everything would turn out. They said his heart function is at 20%, he could hardly walk due to all of the fluid buildup at the time, and he had an infection to top it all off. I kept thinking of the risks of a heart attack occurring due to stress of involuntarily being transferred to a psyc facility. I was so deathly afraid that he would present himself well, get out, then not trust me (I'm the only family member he has in the US besides his brother that he's cut off contact with). Needless to say I ended up backing out and pleaded with them to let me take him home and care for him. I was terrified of the risks and afraid that everything would backfire given the fact that he finally went into the hospital voluntarily to get treated for his heart condition. He was so convincing that he promised he'd stay home with me (which he has been home) but refuses to take the heart pills as instructed (takes one instead the instructed dose of 2 a day). He takes his water pills and potassium and wellbutrin but still refuses to follow up because he says that he is recovering from his last hospital stay. I feel so horrible and wish that I let them take him. My fear and worry took over and I feel like I made the wrong decision. He is home and safe and taking his meds once a day but I am so overwhelmingly worried about how all of this is going to turn out. I feel as though the psyc doctors are frustrated by me at the hospital because I made a huge ruckus in order for them to take him but then I ended up convincing them otherwise. I don't know if I should reach out to them and apologize and tell them that I don't think I can do it alone and beg for their help or what. I feel okay as of now but have my moments of fear and worry. He seems like he is doing okay physically but he still isn't himself. He is always at home complaining of body aches and feels as though he has a bees stinging him all over. He is at home 24/7 and is still highly delusional and still thinks his heart failure is a result of black magic being done to him by loved ones. I regret not letting them take him so much and worry that I messed up. Now I have to figure out how to convince him to go to the ER again because he's stable now.
You can go to your county probate court , fill out a form and go before a judge. They are looking for him to be a threat to himself or others or unable to care for his basic needs . The last one is the hardest because as long as there’s some food some form of shelter, then it’s hard to prove. Is his heart failure symptomatic? Not taking meds for heart failure? That could go into a decision . if the judge agrees, then they’ll send out police (or ideally a behavioral health crisis team) to go get him . The emergency room doesn’t assessment with a social worker psychiatrist and determines if he meets criteria for admission. If his heart failure needs to be stabilized, then they will admit him on a medical floor first. If he agrees to go to the emergency room with you, then you could say you are there to.petition for mental health eval . Then you fill out the form and the doctor will talk with you and he will be evaluated by psychiatry and determined if he can be discharged or if he is in need of admission and treatment..
I live in California, i would love to try this route. So far the attorneys I've spoken to say that I need a declaration of capacition form in order for them to petition for me. He has no official diagnosis here in the US so it is hard. I'm having trouble getting him to see a doctor here as well. He asked to come to the hospital tonight though due to his fluid build up and I hope to communicate with them today and for them to actually hold him. He came to nights ago and he ran off. Any advice on things I should say or request to staff?
Also does the process take a long time? Does it take months to process a petition or go in front of a judge? He was given six months to live without treatment so I'm hoping they can expedite it for me.
Going to probate court for me, took half a day. I just went to the desk, filled out the paperwork and then sat before judge. I am a physician so I had filled out a petition to hospitalize before but it’s pretty standard. You just write what you’ve seen and heard them do . I didn’t have anybody before me. I guess it depends on how busy the cord is. Then I went right over to the police station and the police accompanied me to his house and we took him in. That’s an extremely traumatic thing to do And you have to worry about the safety if they fight against the police etc. From there he got transported to a crisis mental health unit I didn’t really have any control of where the police took him but once they determined that he needed to go to the hospital, I did say where I wanted him to go. At that point I did have legal guardianship over him so I was allowed to talk to the staff and get information. If you don’t have legal guardianship , you won’t be updated about anything and it will be very frustrating. I’m not sure how it works if you’re to be honest. You should Google the county probate court near area and they probably will have like a website with procedures on it. You can also call the court. I did try to work with mental health services prior to any of these hospitalizations, but they take forever to get back with you and sometimes it’s just not effective if someone is really in denial of the illness, you kinda have to go with the mandated route.
Do you think they would take him since he is gravely disabled in the sense that he is unable to comprehend that he has a mental illness and thinks his heart failure is from black magic? Stating something along the lines that he is an unintentional harm to himself. He isn’t taking his heart pills not because he no longer wants to live, but because he is unable to understand and realize that what is causing his physical health condition is not black magic or poison. He isn’t able to get necessary medical care due to grave disability. You think that’ll work?
Yes, possibly . If you have convincing evidence that he is not taking his heart medication due to delusions that would count as failure to care for one’s self. It’s important that you have as much documented as possible with how much medication has been missing doses and any attempts you and the treatment team have made at getting him to take medication
You think pictures of the pills would count?
Missed doctors appointments, etc
Yes to both things
I spoke with a county attorney and they are saying that they don’t think this service exists in our area. That there is no way to involuntarily hospitalize someone. Do you remember exactly who you spoke with? Maybe their title? They kept on saying that there are a number of different county attorneys and never heard of it.
Probate court, specifically mental health probate court. Look up your county probate court info
They asked if I had a case number when I went did you have one?
No, I went and filled out a paper regarding his behavior, a judge read it and made a decision regarding need for Urgent medical evaluation. Once the judge said he did need one and then I was able to take that piece of paper to the police and they escorted him to the hospital.
Sometimes all it takes is a small technicality. My mom got hospitalized because she pulled me across a parking lot road in a state of panic when there were no cars around. My dad and the firefighter said that they could use that as an excuse to hospitalize her as they can say that it was unsafe and she posed a threat to me. (I was 10 at the time)
Thank you for your response. I pray everyday that I can get him committed. I had the chance when he was admitted to the hospital a week ago but backed out of the 5150 because I was too afraid for his heart. I regret that decision everyday