My family member is suicidal, can she voluntarily section herself?

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I don’t have much contact with her but do with her Mum who has been supporting her.

She is already under the care of a crisis team. However her Mum is spending most nights at her house as she is talking of how she will be able to commit suicide after a particular family event has passed.

What would it take for her to be sectioned, or can she voluntarily section herself.

What else could she do to keep herself safe or to help the terrible pain she is in?

She is also under medication reviewed by a psychiatrist.

She won’t be able to section herself. If she is under the crisis team they will be regularly assessing and if they feel she isn’t safe at home then may call a mental health act assessment which will start sectioning process if required. The nearest relative (legal term so can only be one person) can also request a mental health act assessment.
In terms of supporting her sounds like it’s a chain...the mum is doing what she can and you are supporting the mum, this maybe just spending time listening to the mum etc so she can have energy to go back in and support her daughter

Thank you. I am not sure if her Mum knows about the mental health act assessment so I will tell her.

If the sectioning process starts, you are entitled to additional funding and support after you have been sectioned if you are sectioned compulsorily instead of voluntarily. But of a hard one to balance but compulsory sections open up a lot of support sometimes via I think section 117 funding. Worth looking into properly if you have the time.

In some ways her mum is probably doing her a disservice as the crisis team will see this as a very high level of support in the home and be less likely to admit - especially if there have been no actual attempts as yet? Unfortunately it's very unlikely she will get an admission as it's the current frame of thinking that crisis team care is preferable. This is cheaper than a hospital admission for the NHS and arguably less traumatic.

Has she visited www.papyrus-uk.org. There's lots of advice there for the person and their relatives, including a helpline.

Section 117 aftercare funding applies on a section 3

If your relative is sectioned they will be entitled to legal support and importantly an Independent Mental Health Advocate.

Hope everything is okay

Sectioning is only done if someone refuses voluntary admission. So if your family member wants to be in hospital an admission under the mental health act wouldn’t be necessary or appropriate.

It’s awful to feel the way she does, and your mum is doing a great thing by staying with her but obviously that will take its toll on your mum and isn’t sustainable in the long term. You all have to hope that whatever medication is prescribed, and such psychological support as the crisis team are providing, will start to work and your relative will regain more ability to resist her suicidal urges.

If things do not improve and the situation at home isn’t safe or sustainable then admission would be considered, preferably with your relative’s consent. Unfortunately. though, MH cuts mean that admission is very much a last resort and may in some cases not be local because of bed pressures. I would also say that being on an acute psychiatric ward can be a frightening experience in itself and is to be avoided if at all possible.

It’s hard for you on the outskirts and obviously trying to support your mum while worrying about your other relative. to you OP, I hope things improve soon.

Thank you for all your kind messages. I have passed on the information to my family member (who is not my Mum but a close relative). Thank you.

Please ignore Supersimkin's unhelpful comment. The crisis team is there to help and they will be very skilled at doing so. It might be helpful if your relative can be there when they visit to be clear that she cannot continue with the level of support she is giving indefinitely so they can factor that into their assessment.

It is worth remembering that mental health hospitals are not generally a restful place and most suicidal patients recover better at home, which is why every effort is made to treat at home.

I hope your relative is feeling better soon.

I was admitted to a mental health ward last year due to multiple suicide attempts because I was in a new city with absolutely no support network at the time and honestly it just made things worse. I would say that if your family member has a good support network and crisis team support that they are probably more likely to do better than if they went into hospital, either voluntarily or under section. Especially right now with Covid because I'm imagining things like visiting are much more tightly restricted and that won't help anybody's mental health.