Do people genuinely believe 'you should get her/him sectioned' as some sort of option?

[likelysuspect]

I see this sort of comment quite a lot on here and its cropped up in another thread.

'you should consider getting her sectioned'

And the OP is thanking the poster for the useful advice!!

The issue around sectioning has also come up a lot in the threads about the Southport killer and on threads about children with that sort of presentation

It astounds me that in this day and age people still think that you can 'get someone sectioned' as if you just phone someone and the black Maria comes and gets them.

That doesn’t surprise me at all.

It drives me nuts

I like what you did there!!

Yes I think that people dont understand that even if expressing suicidal thoughts, even some plans to some degree, it may not be an expression of intent, it can sometimes be behavioural. People think the minute someone is self harming or suicidal (not always the same thing I have to caveat), you call for someone and they're put away, probably in a straight jacket.

Surely the poster means that she’s initiated a process, for example, by calling 999, that has ended with the person being sectioned, without implying that she had any formal role or decision making power? I wouldn’t say I had “got” my ex boyfriend’s brother sectioned when he very clearly became a danger to himself and others, but I did initiate the process that ended in him being sectioned some hours later.

BiL was sectioned after several psychotic episodes. PiLs involved MH services but the actual process was carried out by MH professionals. He was very very ill and was subsequently diagnosed with a SMI.
Neighbour’s daughter was sectioned having been taken into custody after setting fire to the house and other incidents including breaking into other neighbours’ homes.
As PPs have said, it is not something that is done lightly or happens often.

Might not even get HTT support either! Depends on their capacity on the day. 🥴

ETA - I know of someone with suicidal thoughts who called their crisis team, who was assessed by a clinician and bounced back to their GP…their GP!…because they didn’t have a plan. The GP signposted them to the crisis line in the first place.

slow clap

Totally unintentional! 😀

There is the other side of course. I was speaking to someone who was on call from CMHT and telling her how much I wanted to avoid being sectioned.

She did a slightly more professional version of "there there dear" and told me it was virtually unheard of to be sectioned due to bed pressures.

I asked her to check how many times I had been sectioned.

She checked.

She shut up.

Wish they'd read the bloody notes!

I think they just don't understand how it works. Many years ago I was put on a 72 hour hold then spent quite some time as a voluntary patient. I was on what was called constant which meant I wasn't allowed to be alone. That went down to "tens" (they check on you every ten minutes). I don't know if things have changed nowadays but back then it was really hard to section someone and certainly friends and family had bugger all chance of getting someone sectioned.

Just to clarify, a nearest relative can directly request that an AMHP considers undertaking a MHAA. So in that sense, they can be part of the process that may result in detention.

She probably does.

The trouble is that that poster used the term "I got someone sectioned" very specifically.

Unless she's a police officer, AMHP , S12 approved Dr or SOAD, she hasn't, and is feeding in to general misinformation surrounding detentions under the MHA

Well she uses the phrase, the phrase I hate, which is 'I got someone sectioned'

And not once, not twice but was 'involved' in a 3rd incident

Phoning the police isnt really initiating any process because its just phoning the police to tell them to deal with a risk to the community. They might do, they might not.

Hope he is ok obviously.

Which is sadly because we closed down all the asylums rather than modernising them and making them safe spaces for recovery and treatment.

take the High Royds Hospital for an example, now luxury flats, stunning building in beautiful grounds, funded original by philanthropy long since had become public property, sold off by short sighted idiots not seeing the potential - it should have been fully refurbished as a de-luxe mental health facility.

Likewise our local one, the Old Manor Hospital, sold off, luxury retirement flats - again lovely buildings, they were decrepit and run down, but belonged to us all and had so much potential for public use.

You genuinely can't 'get someone sectioned' unless you are an AMHP or a doctor.
You can give your opinions & recommendations & if you are legally the nearest relative as defined under the act (legally different from next of kin) The AMHP should be contacting you as part of the assessment to get your opinion, but ultimately it's the AMHP & doctor.

See this is another side of the coin, people don’t realise how distressing MH wards are. They are not therapeutic places, especially PICU and acute wards. They are full of people who are very poorly and some people leave more traumatised than when they arrived.

Don’t get me wrong, we (most of us) try our best for our patients but it’s not an easy job.

@Youthinkyouareaniconoclast I can understand why you’d want to avoid it. I hope you are well, too. I bet you’ve been through a lot.

Yes, happens all the time.

Also to add people can still be at home following a mental health act assessment (MHAA) if there are no beds (the majority of time).
The AMHP then has a set amount of time to find a bed or for some sections a bed has to be identified before the application for detention (section) can be made

Exactly Ive been the 'nearest relative' in a statutory body several times, I still have not 'got someone sectioned'. Thats for the medics to consider. I can only give my assessment and analysis from my own profession.

You can't just get someone sectioned.

I was referred for assessment under the MH act. They rang my ex-partner who told them I was feeling better so they discharged me. 🤣

I think people in general are out of the loop with how things work. It’s not (blissful!) ignorance exactly but a lack of experience in how systems work and how stretched resources really are.

It's like 'i got someone arrested' - no you didn't, you called the police & reported what happened.

Thanks for starting the thread, people have such poor understanding of the mental health act & actually a lot of the 'fight the stigma' of mental health, despite being brilliant for more common mental health conditions - depression , anxiety etc in some ways it's done harm to those with severe mental illness needing treatment under section

I've been detained under section 135, 136, 5(4), 5(2), 2 and 3. I've appealed section 2 & 3 through First tier tribunal & through managers hearing.

Feel free to ask me anything.

And even the 'right' of the nearest relative to get someone discharged from section isn't that simple in practice. It's more of an application that can be overruled by the consultant or hospital managers

I think there’s a lot less stigma surrounding mental health. The stigma around mental illness, especially SMI, is still horrific.

@Serencwtch we are on the same MH thread for BPAD support 😊.

You've beaten me - I've not being held in a 5 4/2

The 135 was the worst for me. I woke up with an AMHP and two officers in my room. Terrifying.