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.

Hi OP, having dealt with psychosis in my family, the fact that he notices that he has blackouts and his brain does weird things makes me think that it may not be that - afaik, in acute psychosis people tend to lose understanding of their own mental state. But that's just my experience.

But blackouts and garbled language absolutely need looking into. As pp said, burying your head in the sand is not going to help. Yes, it's scary! I wouldn't wish being caught up in the mental health treatment machinery on anyone (except a couple of psychiatrists I've met).

But it may be entirely treatable, and if it's something serious, the sooner it gets addressed the better. I'd take him to a+e. I'll be crossing my fingers for a diagnosis of something treatable other than psychosis.

We don’t have that in the UK

I understand that it's scary, I feel for you. But if I was you I'd be more scared of what might happen if you don't.

He sounds like he's in crisis. If he hurts himself, or takes his own life, you don't want to be looking back thinking 'if only I'd called someone then'.

Sorry to be blunt but I lost my brother to suicide and I'd give anything to have a chance to save him. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. He fact he's telling you he should be sectioned means he has some insight and it may not come to that. Get him help.

Ring 111, or take him to A+E. This doesn’t sound like something that will improve by itself. I get you’re scared (mum and I had similar experiences with my dad in the past), but he needs help from somewhere.

With my husband, he can have fleeting insight into his mental health when he is in psychosis at times. He knows something is wrong and when he is getting ill. However, recently, it didn't take him long to go from having this insight into his MH to having none at all, and becoming a danger to himself. It can certainly escalate quickly.

You need to call 111 OP, it could be a UTI, a head injury etc and that needs ruling out. They will decide if he needs to be seen today by the crisis team or the mental health liaison team if your A&E has one. If they think he can be managed and treated in the community with crisis support that is what they will try to do.

They may well wait to see him until tomorrow if you feel he can keep safe, but if that does happen, the second you have any concerns for his or your safety call emergency services.

I hope it isn't psychosis and it is something easily treatable.

Sounds like psychosis OP . I get messages through the tv when I have 😭

To balance this out, when my friend was psychotic & needed hospitalisation, they knew something was very wrong with them.

@Deppcandouno I would consider calling 999 if you feel desperate enough. They will I think get the crisis mental health team to do an assessment but he won't necessarily be hospitalised - my friend wasn't until he was active danger to himself and that was pre-covid, services are even more stretched now.

It can be really frightening calling for medical / official help, because you don't know what's going to happen and you worry you're going to make it worse. But this isn't the olden days whe anyone behaving strangely was shut up in bedlam, your husband will be assessed and some sort of plan put in place.

Don't be afraid it reach out to the health services for help, that's what they're there for.

I'd honestly get him into A&E now op , I start not to trust people eventually

Has anything happened lately?

Does sound worrying.

He needs an assessment.

Hopefully not a TIA. Please call to get advice from 111.

Just to add- 111 option 2 is the mental health service within 111 and they will be able to triage. I previously worked on the emergency out of hours service as a social worker… my advice is to call now and not hope it improves as he is clearly telling you he needs help and a voluntary admission is much better than him being detained

Sane Line 0300 304 7000 only before 10pm
Ring them for advice

You must call for help this evening.

When my dad had psychosis, he said lots of things repeatedly and they made little sense and he read meaning into lots of things like adverts or the colour of birds. He was also very agitated and couldn't sit still. He wanted to be in the kitchen doing things but the things he did were just bizarre.

I'm not saying it is this as there are other possibilities, but swift intervention and treatment probably saved his life.

You can’t just ignore this OP. He needs help.

https://www.sane.org.uk/

You can ring 999 and ask for the police if you think your DH could harm himself or others.

Giving you these options in case for some reason you don't go to A&E or ring 111.

Sending love

Sounds worrying. My experience is limited to two friends, one long term MH problems and one had sudden psychosis with some similar symptoms to your DH.
Doctors need to rule out physical causes, I think hypothyroidism is one, and they should do other tests.
Look at it this way, if he had chest pain or had fallen down the stairs you’d be on the phone like a shot. This is just as serious and needs medical help you can’t supply.

@Deppcandouno I would reiterate all the PPs. Your DH is asking for help. You also need to keep safe.

Would be highly interested in the names of these clinics covered by medical aid!

Hopefully you have contacted emergency services OP 🤍. It could be mental, but also a tumour or infection so definitely needs seeing to.

A&E - I helped someone that was experiencing psychosis and a&e was the only option for them. Got assessed and admitted over the course of the night.

111 will do fuck all. As will a&e unless he says directly to them he will cause himself or others harm.

Mental health nurse here. The criteria for being sectioned is quite strict but it does sound like he could do with an assessment.

Get him to the ED and they will (should) have a 24 hour mental health team who will see him and go from there.

He may be kept in or sent home with a crisis team (community mental health team) to assess further.

Does have a diagnosis of MH condition?

He might be incoherent due to an infection or another physical illness but ge has to get checked out by a competent doctor.

You should be more scared of what might happen if you don't, and he gets worse.

My uncle had to be sectioned for bizarre behaviour a couple of years ago. It helps. Please do it. Keep you both safe.

He is either having a psychotic break or he has a biological reason for extreme illness

He needs to go to A and E immediately or he could hurt himself