How to get someone to see they need help and take their treatment

[needahand]

I need a little bit of avdvice/pearls of wisdom here, anything that might help. My young SIL was sectioned at Xmas for mental health reasons. One week afterwards, she stopped taking her treatment and going to see her psychiatrist because she "was fine and doctors don't know what they are talking about anyway". She has since self medicated with alternative therapies and has had a relapse now and we will need to have her sectioned again. She does not live in England.

How can her familly get her to see she needs treatment/to take her treatment.

Any experience?

[needahand]

Any one with experience of mental health patient reluctant to take their treatment?

[Songbird]

bump - can't help you myself!

[TheApprentice]

This is a really difficult one. My brother, who suffers from serious depression, once took himself off his anti-depressants very suddenly without consulting a doctor. This had serious consequences for him. The problem is, that unless that person is sectioned, no-one can actually make them take any medication.

My brother has now realised that its important for him to take his medication, but he had to learn that the hard way. Sometimes its very hard to help someone until they actually want the help.

Sorry not to be more positive, perhaps this experience of being sectioned again will help your SIL to see that she does need to listen to advice.

Best of luck.

[needahand]

Songbird thanks for the bump any help is appreciated even a bump.

The Apprentice she is just being sectioned as we speak, the problem is what do we do when she comes out? The pb is SIL is very immature and thinks she knows better than the doctors because she is a medical student.

Apparently she is in a worst way than when she was sectioned at Xmas. I am just worried as to what will happen to her if she doesn't take her medication again: worried something might happen to her or that she might end up being sectionned for a long time.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me, and I am glad your brother is on the road to recovery.