My husband is acting is strangely

[Deppcandouno]

My husband is acting in a very depressive manner and is reading bizarre meaning into things like adverts. He is also saying phrases that don’t make any sense like ‘we need to level up like super Mario’ and expecting that what he has said is normal. He keeps disappearing to do household jobs and is gone for an hour but has no recollection of what he has been doing. He has said he is concerned about his mental health and feels he meets the criteria to be sectioned. What do I do? Pl ease help.

Those preliminary assessments are crap that’s the point.

Until DH has seen a doctor face to face he’s undiagnosed.

Yes does it does! In acute wards often they are ‘informal’ patients who have chosen to accept without all of the mental health act formalities!

They are not sectioned if they are informal patients.

Well often the diagnostic process is crap too, so.

I don't believe that OP has rung anyone, because she's scared to. She said she was scared of what will happen if she calls 111, and the excuse with the kid last night was a cop-out. The fact that she was posting on MN instead of calling for help also shows how reluctant she is.

If she told them what she told us, no way would he have only a GP appt on the 20th. He was displaying clear signs of psychosis, which may be correct or they may be down to something else, but his symptoms indicated a medical emergency. Maybe OP is scared he'll be sectioned and will never work again, or something. But the best route back to health is a doctor, because he might need anti-psychotic meds. The outcome is so unsatisfactory that it's hard to believe she rang anyone. If she has rung them, she needs to call back and get him an urgent appt or take him to A&E.

It's horrible to think of someone needing medical help and maybe urgent medication and not getting it.

This has been explained so many times now.

You are either an informal patient or you are detained under a section. You can not be both. There is no voluntary section- it does not exist in law. Speaking as a MH professional as well as a carer.

Yes, I don’t understand this confusion. It really isn’t complicated

No you are wrong. I’ve been sectioned multiple times but I have also gone into acute wards voluntarily. That is not under section and I was free to leave if I wanted. A couple of times I tried to leave but was then sectioned as they deemed me too unwell to leave,
But you can’t be “voluntarily sectioned”, that doesn’t exist.

That’s a fair point. But until he’s actually seen a psychiatrist he does not have a diagnosis.

@Winnie27101981
You said earlier in this thread that you are a MH Nurse but you don’t seem to understand that voluntary sectioning doesn’t exist.

OP, put this in writing to the GP.

Explain when it started, the paranoid beliefs and his change in behaviour. State the potential risks. Write about your interaction with the crisis team. Mention any change in sleep and appetite.

Say that you cannot wait till the 20th. And that you have a child at home.

As it sounds like he still has some insight, your husband may be able to work with the crisis team and avoid an admission if he gets an assessment and meds asap. It is harder to ignore the written word.

Give this letter to the GP receptionists tomorrow first thing and say it’s urgent and you would like the duty doctor to see it asap.

Good luck.

And as others have said, you are either an informal/voluntary patient or a detained patient sectioned under the Mental Health Act. The numbers of the sections eg S2, S3, S136, S5(2) refer to the relevant section of the act which details the conditions for detention and appeal. A voluntary patient has nothing to do with the MHA, sections or detentions, and has capacity to consent to an informal admission.

They are a MH nurse? Oh dear. That’s worrying.

Yep, hopefully they made that up otherwise it is very worrying

OP didn't give much information in her last post so it's hard to work out what is going on here.

I have never known anyone have to wait for weeks for a GP appointment when psychosis is suspected, or a possible brain injury/ infection causing these symptoms. I know GPs are shit right now, but even then I am sure they would direct to A&E at the very least if they couldn't see him that day.

I know care is poor, but this is a different level and it would be plain neglect for a GP not to see him for 3 weeks when there are symptoms of potential psychosis.

Either way OP, take him to A&E, because psychosis can change fast. I could talk for hours about what we have just gone through, but the short story is, my husband's psychosis changed very very quickly and the outcome was traumatic and we will never be able to unsee the things we witnessed. Get him to A&E if you are still concerned- I can't stress the importance enough.

What? A MH nurse? 🤐

Not “sectioned” but they are informally admitted. So and informal or voluntary admission! Same thing! Just worded differently by someone who does not have a full understanding of the correct terminology!

MH nurse here too!

The person who said voluntary section did not know the correct term for “informal admission” but that is what they meant!

You need to read the thread properly. No one is saying that patients cannot be voluntarily or informally admitted to MH beds, the error was to say that voluntary sections can happen.

Where did I say voluntary sectioning was a thing! I used the word “informal” which essentially means the same thing - the person who first used that term did use the correct term but they meant that they can be admitted informally! I never used the term voluntary sectioning! I was merely saying that the concept of being admitted voluntarily is a thing!

Why would you say this then?

Winnie27101981 · Today 22:12

YesIdolovehim · Today 00:28
“voluntarily sectioned” doesn’t exist. If you would go into hospital voluntarily then you don’t need to be sectioned

You said:
Yes does it does! In acute wards often they are ‘informal’ patients who have chosen to accept without all of the mental health act formalities

Why did you clearly contradict this poster for saying ‘voluntarily sectioned’ doesn’t exist??

Today 22:12

Yep.

Ok, I think there are crossed wires as from your post, it seems like you were agreeing with the fact that you can be 'informally detained'. As you know, you can only be detained if you are unwilling to be admitted, or if you are unable to consent to an admission- as long as the other criteria is met of course.

With respect, you should be more scared of what could happen if you don’t. He’s openly vocalising his concern for his own mental wellbeing. You must help him.

Yes, no one has said otherwise!