Teenager sectioned - any experience?

[Perrenial]

Looks like my DS 18 might be sectioned tomorrow due to depression / psychosis and other non-related health issues. Anyone experienced this? Any advice? I’m not expecting him to go willingly and I can’t imagine the kind of place he’s going to end up in. Absolutely shitting myself.

So sorry to hear this, you must be out of your mind with worry. Sending a hand hold, I have a DS 17 who is causing us all sort of worries at the moment so I have some understanding

Hi OP.
You will almost certainly find that once your son is receiving medication for his illness, he'll start to improve.

Psychiatric units aren't as terrifying as you probably imagine. I'm so sorry that you and your son find yourselves in this situation.

I really hope he gets better soon
@Perrenial

Take him in lots of snacks and things to read.

He will have a private room if he's sectioned, and will be able to lock it so other inpatients can't enter (staff have a master key)
Sectioning isn't done lightly, for him to meet criteria even for a few days will mean he's severely unwell and it's a last resort, if they don't think he's imminently a danger to himself or others then they'll go other routes, so if he is admitted you know that it's really the only option even if he's not happy about it until the meds allow him to think clearer.

I only have 20 yrs out of date experience (sibling) but if there is a young people's unit push for him to get put there.
I'm so sorry you're going through this but hopefully this is the rock bottom & all the help will now line up 💐 (don't be too capable - force the system to put everything in place for him after release)

My friends son was sectioned for 5 weeks at 19, they were amazing and got him onto medication and into therapy, she was kept informed all the way through.

I’m a MH nurse. Where is he currently? At 18, he’ll go to an adult acute ward which may be a bit of a shock to the system. Please please make use of the nurses. As long as he consents, they will be happy to talk to you about his day and what treatment he’s getting. He will have weekly meetings with his psychiatrist that you should be able to attend if he’s ok with it. Additionally, as the nearest relative of someone who’s been sectioned you have certain rights regardless of his consent. This explains a bit more https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/nearest-relative/overview/

@JennieTheZebra thanks for the info, that’s very useful. He has a genetic condition which means we’ve been at hospital clinics every 2 months since he was born. He only turned 18 in January so it is very difficult to suddenly take a step back and not know what is going on.

I really hope he gets the help he needs as I’ve been trying to get him to agree to getting him help for his mental health for over 18 months but the last couple of months things have escalated and as I’m the only adult in his life, the weight of responsibility on me weighs heavy.

My nephew was sectioned last year. The MH team visited him at home and it was agreed that he would go to a specialist unit, luckily relatively nearby. The ambulance was there within an hour, which shocked him and his parents, but this was probably for the best. Send him with comfy clothes, nothing precious that will upset him if it gets lost or damaged.

They will follow a strict process for communicating with you as his parent, as outlined by Jennie, because he is an adult. DN's parents attended a virtual weekly ward round and visited each week, although this was challenging. The initial month was extended to a formal 6 months. They worked with him with meds and therapy to improve his MH. There were hiccups along the way, but he is now in supported living with community care.

I hope things work out for you and your DS.

Stacey Dooley has done a documentary on psych wards. It still be on iplayer.

That's not true. A lot of hospitals still have shared rooms.

New units are being built to that standard but older hospitals aren't .

I would get a laundry pen and initial his clothes, as they often go missing. And use stickers to label his chargers. He won't be able to have them in his room.

I would pack clothes that don't have strings eg hoodies/joggers. As they may remove these on the ward. And slippers/sliders as be may not be able to have his shoe laces initially.

If he refuses to speak to you, still call daily and ask the staff to say you've called. When he gets better, he will know that you were calling even tho he didn't want to speak to you.

The wards aren't as bad as you expect, but jt will be hard as when they are over 18 you are not as involved. Also he should be offered an independent mental health advocate.

We were trying to go through the private route but following two assessments in the last week, they decided they wanted to admit him but it would cost £8k a week which was double what I was expected so the letter from the Psychiatric Consultant has triggered a meeting with the GP tomorrow.

I really want him to get the help he needs but can only imagine him kicking off with what I assume the restrictions of him being an inpatient will entail.

My sister was sectioned around that age, and she has disabilities. Whilst it wasn’t easy at times it was a way forward and it wasn’t the nightmare I imagined. Ultimately she then accessed supported housing and slowly built a life up, having been unable to do so at home. She has some friends, voluntary work etc. it was though a 9 month stay, partly due to the difficulty finding a placement after and the fact it wasn’t right to return home

Sorry to hear this. How difficult. The mental health act does offer some very protective mechanisms as strange as it sounds. It will be scary at first but no doubt he will settle in and hopefully get the care and treatment he needs. Ensure that you are listened as a carers account is extremely important. If you run into difficulties don’t hold off in placing formal complaints. Unfortunate but it has to be done.

What do you think is best for him at this point?

It can be really hard to get admitted (relative spent 3 days in A&E before running for train tracks before he got any help - after weeks of struggling).
Experienced 4 different hospitals and they vary in quality. But we were able to visit daily.

If they don’t consider him to be a danger to himself or others or that you’re managing and with him at home then he might not be sectioned as there’s such a shortage of places.

Oh wow I didn't realise anywhere still had any. Cqc report showed there's still 1300 beds in a shared area, so considering there's about 24000 beds that's still around 5%. Hopefully those units aren't entirely shared wards and they can place people carefully on them depending on disruption level.

From experience as well it will also depends where beds are available. My Dad (appreciate older) suffers very poorly with his MH , during an acute psychosis episode he was referred to the crisis team. A word of warning my dads GP had fobbed him off for a while, he took some risky actions and I forced my mum to ring the crisis team…. The Community mental health team came out too him , he had a Psychiatrist out and a social worker who completed a capacity assessment on him. They wanted to section him, (he has been sectioned in the past) he met the threshold for it however there were zero beds available in the entire UK. He was therefore managed at home, by the community mental health team coming three times a day to administer medication and one of those was a Psychiatrist appointment.
I couldn’t fault the care he was given, but just be prepared there might not be any beds. As he is also now 18 he would be on an adult ward, so just brace yourself for that as well. Sending lots of love to you , it’s a shitty time and thoughts and prayers through to the otherside of it all xx

My DD was sectioned 4 years ago after a couple of years of spiralling MH issues and countless A&E visits due to self harm and many , many contacts with the crisis team. It took me having an absolute meltdown in the middle of our A&E department to get anybody to take her MH issues seriously but it was a game changer. In our situation it was absolutely the best thing to happen. She was an inpatient for 6 months ( 3 of those as a voluntary patient). It was a turning point for DD and a huge relief for us as we knew she was finally in a safe environment and I could sleep again, not waiting for the police to knock on our door! Send your DS with comfortable clothes , snacks , toiletries and mobile phone. They will take anything that could potentially cause harm eg razors , mobile phone charger but will keep them safe and allow supervised access to these items.
it’s so so scary to begin with but it’s amazing how quickly you get into a routine.
they have strict processes for communication, visiting and access to ward rounds / MDT’s but in my experience, even though DD was an adult , we were kept fully informed and DD felt safe. It certainly wasn’t plain sailing, and in all honestly was an absolute emotional rollercoaster. but 4 years on, DD has her own home (housing association) and job and most importantly she is happy and safe x

@Perrenial Restrictions will vary depending on his exact presentation. Normally, when they’re new they’re confined to the ward/hospital for a few days and then they start working on leave. This is usually escorted at first and for very short periods (often 10-15 minutes)-and confined to hospital grounds. Eventually, and depending on his risk, they’ll start working towards longer periods of unescorted leave. Does he smoke/vape? If so, smoke breaks are usually the first leave target. Also, exactly what possessions he’s allowed to keep will vary based on risk. There may be some ‘blanket’ bans (glass, pornography, sharp knives etc) but in general it should be based on how he is feeling/acting.

Sending you all huge hugs , its absolutely awful to see your child experiencing severe MH issues , you feel so helpless and like you’ve failed , but I can categorically say that you have not failed , you wouldn’t be posting if you had. Your DS needs care and support from professionals in the same way that he would if it was a physical illness. Please be kind to yourself during this time too

@JennieTheZebra yes he vapes which again I can see him kicking off at not having access to vape whenever he wants!

Will I be able to take food / stuff to occupy him in? All he does is play on the Xbox with his friends which I’m assuming he won’t be allowed to do.

My DD vapes and she was allowed supervised access to this. The MH unit that DD was in had a games room but there was a rota to use it. We were able to send food in after the 1st month and she could order food in once she was a voluntary patient

My son was sectioned at 17, so was on a CAMHS ward. My husband was sectioned and spent time on an adult acute psychiatric ward. I was sectioned as an adult, but that was many years ago, so may not be relevant.

Mind have information about the patient's rights under section. This information may be helpful.

My rights if I've been sectioned - Mind

My husband's experience was the most recent, and like a previous poster, I attended a meeting shortly after his admission, and one prior to discharge. Visits were in a room on the ward.

Responses to being sectioned will vary from person to person. I had a severe eating disorder, so I was aware of what was happening and very angry about it. My husband was in the grips of psychosis, and I don't think he knew what was happening.

@Perrenial Virtually all MH wards will allow them regular access to vapes. My trust allows unlimited vaping indoors but this varies from trust to trust. My trust also allows patients access to their own food and provides fridges for this, but again this varies. He will be provided 3 meals a day and the food is usually pretty good. In every hospital I’ve worked in they’ve provided multiple choices and hot puddings for both lunch and dinner. All units will have WiFi and access to tvs but he will need something else to occupy him too. There’s usually therapy and social activities (karaoke, board games etc) during the day, but I appreciate he might not be up for that yet.

So sorry to hear this, OP.

My brother was sectioned at a similar age, and I remember how upsetting it was for our mum. I really feel for you. ❤