To think a person being in a mental health unit for six weeks

[Cuttherubbish]

Is quite lengthy admission

It's how long is a piece of string, I've known people to be in secure and specialist facilities for decades. Acute would be shorter a day to a few months each illness is unique.

No it isn't.

@Cuttherubbish

A breakdown which the person attempted to take his life.

Haven't read the whole thread sorry, but it sounds about minimum stay to me though I have no personal experience. Imagine that many are turfed out asap so if private funds permitted a longer stay it would seem normal.

People with depression can take weeks and weeks to get to a suitable medication dosage as I understand it. Only then can you start therapy.
Anorexics by the time they are admitted are so unwell their brains aren't working normally. They need to be brought back up to a minimum bodyweight before a sensible therapy conversation can take place.
If you sprained your ankle you'd be signed off work for two weeks 😂

If he doesn't give consent for you to receive information from his mental health team then you cannot properly support him - and there is a danger you will get dragged under. He needs to understand that.

I supported an adult DS through two sections, the last one after a suicide attempt. He lived with me, even with support from the team and full information sharing with them and the GP, it was bloody hard. I was the one having to sort medication at short notice when he forgot to re-order - so being able to talk freely with GPs receptionists was vital. I was the one driving him to appointments as he lost his license, for 3 yrs my life revolved around supporting him.

He lives independently now, he did live with his brother and family for a few months, but they were unable to continue, they both worked F/T and he wasn't working and became nocturnal, sleeping all day and waking them at night, they have small dc so it just wasn't sustainable.

You have DC to take care of, which means taking care of yourself. Like being on a plane with the oxygen masks coming down - you can't help anyone if you can't breathe yourself - so please make sure that you are OK. The strain of living with someone with MH problems, that causes them to be sectioned, is huge. Please take care of yourself.

these are for you OP, it must be taking an enormous toll on you.

I wish they'd have admitted my boyfriend when he presented to them with a long trauma history and his plan to kill himself. They turned him away and he was dead by 5am.

I don't know what to say to you about his recovery - the NHS mental health services are SO on their knees that I think to keep somebody in even overnight, let alone for 6 weeks it would indeed have to have been really quite bad. I'm not sure it's reasonable to judge it against people who have been in there longer - 6 weeks is really quite a long hospitalisation and the NHS don't keep people in for longer than they strictly need to, and especially not in a pandemic.

Have they offered him any ongoing support or therapeutic plan? It might be that what is right for him is to get bak to normal ASAP - but it might also be that that's not right for him and slower is better. That's why I'd try to get some professional advice if possible.

@BillyTodd

these are for you OP, it must be taking an enormous toll on you.

I wish they'd have admitted my boyfriend when he presented to them with a long trauma history and his plan to kill himself. They turned him away and he was dead by 5am.

I don't know what to say to you about his recovery - the NHS mental health services are SO on their knees that I think to keep somebody in even overnight, let alone for 6 weeks it would indeed have to have been really quite bad. I'm not sure it's reasonable to judge it against people who have been in there longer - 6 weeks is really quite a long hospitalisation and the NHS don't keep people in for longer than they strictly need to, and especially not in a pandemic.

Have they offered him any ongoing support or therapeutic plan? It might be that what is right for him is to get bak to normal ASAP - but it might also be that that's not right for him and slower is better. That's why I'd try to get some professional advice if possible.

I'm so sorry @BillyTodd , that must have been so difficult. I hope you are looking after yourself.

OP, you could always start another post but on the Mental Health board, where you will find very many kind and supportive people, both those who have experienced mental ill health themselves, and those who help and support friends and relatives with MH issues.

It must be very hard. If he won't share any mental health information with you, that must make it near impossible. On the other hand, it is his right, but it is also your right to also make unilateral decisions which support only yourself. As others have said, make decisions about what meets your needs for yourself first, and keep those in your mind whilst considering how to help him.