To think detaining under the mental health act

[User755]

Is often done to late when family relationships are already strained and the person has been left to end up seriously unwell. Speaking as a mother of a young adult with mental health problems.

That's because mental health services are virtually non-existent. It's not even firefighting any more, it's just a black hole. A national disgrace.

What's the alternative? Detaining people against their will when they have relatively mild MH issues?

Yep. My mums partner was admitted just before Christmas. Should have happened in October, but she couldn’t get anyone to come out, pay attention or listen to how bad the situation was becoming. He’s now seriously unwell, and the climb back to health may not be one he can manage. It’s a national disgrace how poor provision is.

No

It should only ever be done as a last resort when the person is so mentally unwell that there is at that time no other option.

To deprive someone of their liberty is never something a state should do unless it's absolutely necessary. It certainly shouldn't be done to someone because their family are struggling.

The issue isn't that people are being detained under the mental health act too late its the fact that there are minimal services to support people who are very unwell before it gets to that point. That's where the failure in the system is.

I'm sorry though, it sounds really hard for you all.

The mental health act is a complex bit of legislation and arguably one of the most restrictive. It allows people who have committed no crimes, to be removed from their home and detained against their will.

It is important that there are enough checks and balances to ensure its used only when absolutely necessary.

The criteria though is so high, that it often means the person is very unwell before the state has the power to intervene

The mental health act should also not be an excuse for not providing treatment on a voluntary basis earlier. Services shouldn't be waiting till the criteria is met before offering any form of support

I’m torn on this.

Yes it always feels like it happens too late; for the family and anyone impacted.

But the alternatives are unthinkable; so I don’t think it could happen sooner.

Its not a job I would want to decide where to put lax criteria

There are always people that act in ways society finds well... odd. From dressing erratically, to making unusual choices like living off grid, eating only raw , not following western medicine (even when very sick), noisy lives. I wouldn't say they all need detaining

The line always comes back down to risk and how immediate that risk is and sometimes that line is very fine for some people

It’s a serious deprivation of Liberty, so no, I don’t think the bar should be any lower.

Should more be done in the community first I’d the question.

I also think it’s hard to do it earlier. Very hard, you can’t detain people when it’s not a last resort.

I don’t think that’s the answer. Proper treatment is. But again that’s also hard, not just because of resources but the person needs to want to engage. And if they don’t then you’re into sectioning. It’s simoly not easy.

Detaining people should always be a last resort.

I do think that mental health treatment and support should start much earlier. We need less firefighting and more of a "nip it in the bud" approach. Mental health provision in the UK is appalling.

Mental health provision in the UK is appalling but it has been for many years ,when I first qualified as a mental health nurse in the mid 90,s we had a lot more beds etc ,but the care wasent any better and far too many patients were detained under the mental health act for a lot longer than they should have been ,now it seems it's gone to far in the opposite direction , mental health services need a complete overhaul.

God no OP. The only other people we deprive of their liberty are criminals. I have problems with the way we treat severely unwell people. The state of family relationships don't take precedent over freedom.

Also, families - general public - don't have MH expertise.

I agree with pp who have said that we need better mental health provision going in early so that the majority of people do not end up in a situation where detention under the MHA is the only option remaining. That is going to cost money and will require a change in attitude in government and in society so that mental health care is seen as just as important and essential as physical health care. The stigma is still very much there.

I know several people who have problems with mental ill health. All but one (who did end up detained) were crying out for support, doing everything they could to get help and getting nowhere. Most recently a friend of mine ended up having multiple (voluntary) admissions because every time she was discharged, there was no community support for her. That needs to change.

Like others have said, it should be the absolute last resort. But there should be more support for people before a hospital admission is considered. Sadly, there isn't.

The issue is not, in my opinion, that people who should be detained under section earlier but are incorrectly assessed as not meeting the criteria. The issue is that there is not enough support/resources aimed at those who are mentally unwell to try and prevent them deteriorating further and closely monitor progress (or lack thereof).

Detention is a serious deprivation of Liberty and should only be done if no other option. It should not be done because family members can’t cope (though the family struggling to cope could, potentially, be a trigger for a voluntary admission- the issue there is the lack of beds). It is right that there are tight and specific criteria for placing someone under detention. The fault is with the lack of support for people prior to that.

I’ve been left to deal with my child’s very high risk behaviours. They are an adult but obviously I could never put them out on the streets so I have to have them living with me.

I know exactly how you feel.

One of my siblings is a young adult and is in and out of psychiatric hospitals. They usually wait until she is a danger to others before admitting her, by which time her psychosis is so bad she needs a specialist team to transport her to hospital and she goes straight to a critical care ward. She self harms most days, quite serious self harm. My parents are terrified to go in her room every morning as they are scared they will find her dead. She can't be left in the house on her own. She is so frail that when she is well enough to go for a walk, she can't walk more than 10 minutes at a time. My parents mental health are suffering, but there's no way she could live on her own and supportive accommodation isn't an option at the moment. When she is hospitalised they feel like a weight has been lifted. They love her dearly but it is so difficult living with her.

It is quite an extreme piece of legislation and I'm happy it is used only as a last resort.

Xmassprout Sorry to hear that. My young adult also has an eating disorder to it’s awful to see them struggling so much.

MH care in the UK is an absolute disgrace. There is no early intervention yet when dd took 11 anti-histamine and a swig of benylin and went to A&E when she was 17 to make sure she had done no harm 48 hours later I was utterly gobsmacked that as a matter of protocol they had funds for an acute admission with a 1:1 nurse pending CAMHS review. The same CAMHS who had refused to help her 9 months previously so she had in place a private consultant psychiatrist who could have been contacted had in working hours had A&E bothered to contact me before 5.50pm. A&E also didn't know that 16/17 year olds could be assessed in A&E by the MH Liaison unit on site from 8am until 2am every day. After a bit of a very uneasiness battle she was assessed and came ill. The lack of dot joining and assumption and failure to listen is gob smacking. I have never received an explanation as to why my local hospital had c£1000 for an unnecessary and acute NHS admission yet had no funds for an intervention 9 months earlier.

It is shocking. Truly truly shocking. I was not however convinced the problem was all about lack of resources. It had as much to do with poor practice, buck passing and a culture of excuses based upon parent blaming.

After a bit of an unpleasant battle she cam home that night. Apologies for typos and autocorrect.

What other support does your young adult get User ,mental health services are woefully underfunded but for a lot of people Detention under the mental health act is not really the answer as it doesn't really tackle the problem , depending on diagnosis etc there needs to be more targeted support ,if your young adult has EUPD for example detention to an acute psychiatric unit won't really help but I can understand your frustration

Yes, in my experience there are not enough beds and treatment is not available, to leave the person and family until there is no option but to detain is a terrible failing.

That's very true unfortunately @RosesAndHellebores it's not really a lack of funding more a waste of resources

Hi there, I’m in a similar position. We are crying for my son at home he is 19. Self harm, social anxiety depression nd stuff I don’t know; he’s an adult. He is cared for under the local community mental health team and they are amazing. However, 1 year on nd he is still waiting for counselling. No idea why I am posting but I fear for his future.
Sympathy and empathy to OP and everyone else.