Do you know someone that was sectioned? Or have you been sectioned?

[wfcntm]

Family member has been sectioned for three months. She is elderly and in her 80s. She is in a catatonic state and staring right through you, Not responding if you talk to her etc

My family are wondering if it is best to go and visit her when she is like this or is it best to leave it for a while to allow her to get better? Not sure if seeing us would make it better or worse. She has only been there for two days.

For context they sectioned her because she stopped eating/drinking/taking her medication/didn't know the date/month/year, and she said she no longer felt safe in her home but couldn't say why, I believe they are thinking about moving her to a care home when she is released.

I think the best thing is to talk to the ward team. They’ll be able to give an indication of how she is.

I’d think that visiting would help her though? And also reassure the family she is being cared for? All the best for her recovery x

I work in mental health - sorry this has happened to your relative. I would call the ward and speak to the nurses as they will be able to give you a better idea of whether visiting is advised. Hopefully once she is back on her meds and has a regular routine and food are back in place she will start to get back on an even keel.

Call the place and ask.

I worked as acting mental health act manager in a previous job. The bar for placing someone on a section is very, very high. They have to be a serious risk to themselves or to others, or to be at risk from serious neglect and they have to be assessed as not having the capacity to take good decisions for themselves. If your relative is in such a serious condition, being sectioned sounds like the right path for her. She will be given treatment until she is established on medications and safe in terms of her mental health. In her case it may be that this will not be possible and that she will be better off in a care home. It's a scary thing to happen to anyone, but it is never done lightly. Two days is very, very early on in the process. It takes time for medications to take effect, so hopefully a few weeks in your relative will recover communication and her physical health will also improve. I wish you all the very best.

Yes. I did know someone. I'd go and see her if you can. May help to bring her out if her catatonia a bit. My friend was much younger but i was glad I went.

I have, not been able to get an answer so far but it's christmas so to be expected really. I was more wanting to ask people who had been there what was best for them. Don't want her to feel worse than she already does.

I have been sectioned a few times and I would always have preferred to have seen family than not. Take her nice comforting things and go see her, if the ward staff agree in advance. Best of luck to her, I hope she feels better soon.

Yes
Definitely ask before visiting they will know her state best

Absolutely you should.

My 92 year old Grandma was placed on a section during the summer. During her initial section (28 days) she was detained at the local (a mere 1.5 hrs car journey from her home!) geriatric psychiatric unit for observation and diagnosis.

Noone, in their right mind or not, would want to be incarcerated in such a place. I would urge you to visit her, in the hope that she may find some familiarity from you, which may ease her anguish. My Grandma had thought that she had been kidnapped and none of her relatives knew where she was. It was heart breaking.

I would also urge you to advocate for her. Typically, the consultant will have weekly updates, during which medication and diagnosis are discussed. On several occasions, my knowledge of my Grandma’s overall health and medications was useful during these sessions.

Are you her Next of Kin? This is a very difficult time and I wish her the very best.

Just keep ringing, it takes ages sometimes.

The ward advised me not to visit my friend for the first week to get him settled on his meds.

Of course you should visit her. It's very important that staff know people care for her and will regularly visit. It keeps them on their toes. Notwithstanding that your relative will benefit from knowing someone cared when she is better.

Go regularly, ask questions.

I am shocked that elderly people are sectioned for the reasons given, is this normal procedure? I have had two friends sectioned for psychotic episodes, with the threat of harming others and themselves. I did visit after a week or so, not a nice experience at all. I feel sick to my stomach that an elderly person could be placed in that environment. What the hell have we become when we are placing the frail and elderly with potential violent patients?

My grandma was sectioned for similar reasons, if someone is catatonic with depression and not eating and drinking then they are going to die so need to be sectioned.

They are in a ward for the elderly so will not be amongst younger potentially violent adults.

Yes, definitely visit, it’s very hard but it’s important someone does I think . My mum’s under section for dementia, so she can be given covert medication and initially also so they could legally keep her on the ward - she’s not going to leave now, but she tried at first many times, however she will still refuse meds at times so (afaik) this lets them hide them in her food etc .

She’s on a highly specialist psychiatric ward for complex dementia (all the other patients are easily 75+) - not general adult mental health - and started on a neurology ward .