Hospitalisation

[Icedlatteplease]

I have a young teen awaiting imminant hospitalisation. We have been told they don't know how long until they have a place but will probably be very quick when they do. It's meant to be as short as possible admission but Early intervention psychosis service has said to expect 6-8 weeks. I think it might take much much longer.

I'm dealing or not dealing with the emotional side of things but I have lots of stupid innane questions, like who does the laundry whilst they are in, do I need to name tag everything. Questions that seem stupid when I'm talking big stuff like capacity assessment but I don't really want to have to resolve in a hurry

Anyone any advice?

Section

Have you had the assessment?

For the section? They were planning to do that when they had the placement as he is accepting treatment at home

Oh I was wondering as they have to find a bed within 14 days, so that would be awful to redo.
Camhs Beds are really really short at the moment, do you think community is helping while you wait?

Hi, my daughter started with psychosis symptoms in December last year and is still in a psychiatric facility now.

Unfortunately mental health beds are like gold dust and it took my daughter 6 weeks from being admitted to a normal hospital to finding her a place.

If there is anything specific you want to ask, feel free.

Going back to your OP, in my daughters case, they name tagged everything and they do the laundry for her on site. They take all their own clothes with them, toiletries, personal belongings like toys, books etc.

She is allowed her mobile phone charger but some facilities may not allow it - or only allow it under supervision while charging.

Is your child under a psychiatrist yet?

Also to note that they don't allow under 18s on the wards.

You say your local ward has refused the referral. Is that for a regular hospital bed? I took my daughter to A&E and refused to leave until someone did something. She was eventually admitted.

Regards the mental health act assessment, they are meant to do it as soon as it becomes evident it is needed. They could detain your child to a normal ward whilst waiting. My daughters psychiatrist wanted to wait until a place was found before detaining her but that's not the way they are meant to do it. I'm thinking because under the Mental Health Act they are meant to find a bed within 14 days.

If you want any links to guides on the MHA to help you navigate then I will post them on here.

Also to note that they don't allow under 18s on the wards

What do you mean? Children under 18 should not be placed in an adult facility and if they are it's notifiable etc within the authorities. Visitors to my child included under 18s if that is what you mean.

Sorry I was thinking of my own daughter (she's 19). Under 18s aren't allowed to visit her.

As OPs child is under 18, it will be different.

6 weeks?!?! Hollow laugh. Sorry. It is shit isn't it? 6 weeks isn't bad though!!!

We've been dealing with psychosis of over a year now. Initially he was admitted and released with an anti anxiety med. I did the whole sitting in a&e until they re-admit thing but Our local hospital literally won't admit him because he was too disruptive/dangerous to the ward when he was first admitted. After it became very dangerous at home and CAHMS failed to secure a bed to fit police protection time frames, we have 24 hour care at home. DS refuses to engage with either carers (who bless them are lovely and used to being silently hated now, they were very celebratory when DS offered a piece of his pizza the other day) or psychiatrists. CAHMS took 8 months to decide anything beyond an anti-anxiety might be necessary. By that time DS had long since decided the CAMHS psychiatrist was too stupid to bother engaging with and thats carried through to anyone who has tried to help since. EIPS psychiatrist is ok i guess (they started working with us in November and started treatment end of November), but we see her maybe once a month. DS won't be in the same room as her though)
It went legal in December (due to attempts to remove care) in which hospital stay was recommended and care secured (essentially because risk of him murdering me and possibly DD is high). We are on are second set of antipsychotics which arent doing much...

They decided to admit in February. By the time we cleared the CETR, it was mid April. It was the CAMHS mental health ward that has refused to admit after they did a home assessment.

Essentially verbally the information given behind the refusal has ruled out most CAMHS inpatients wards (but they havent put anything in writing yet)...

so now we are waiting for the proverbial unicorn specialist inpatient unit. I've discovered 5 beds (that technically he isnt entitled to because he doesnt have the right diagnosis) in a four hour travel time, and another ward (I think it might be suitable), at a 6-8 hour journey time. I can't even find anymore. I'm hoping the private one a couple of hours away might take him, but persuading urgent help to even contact them is proving problematic.

we went from be ready at 24-72 hours notice when I first posted to radio silence

I suppose my biggest question is what do can they do differently In hospital to the set up at home?

And how many medications dies it take most people to get to one that works.

Yes guides would be good 💐

@BSB30 thanks for clarifying, yes we could take younger kids to visit.

I name taped all dsd clothes, packed with her ..no cord/laces/hoodies .
We got some photos printed of family/dogs etc.
toiletries - no razors.scissors/tweezers
we also bought a nitendo switch so they had something to do, they were not allowed smart phone so bought an old brick phone
all charges/leads etc we handed to staff

think as if you are sending a 8 yr old on first cub camp or similar...its about that level.

check before you take him if he is allowed his own bed linen ..dsd wasnt .
put in a teddy ( bet he still has one somewhere )

At my dsd unit they did laundry but we used to take it home for her and wash it..smelled nice she said.
if he will be doing hospital school pack all school stuff separately - it had to be kept in the hospital class room.

I suppose my biggest question is what do can they do differently In hospital to the set up at home?

This is a really good question to ask of the team. Understanding what (if anything) they can do differently is important to how you feel about it all. We knew nothing and were shocked at how little daily input there was.

As someone who had psychosis being sectioned has awful. And daily input was not great. But I think the difference to being at home was that I knew if I wanted to get out I had to appear normal. And trying to appear normal, ignore my thoughts and not spiral etc. was the base point to getting better. A kind of fake it until you make it type thing.

When I was at home my main objective was convincing everyone what I was saying or experiencing was true. Which made me spiral further through exasperation and trying to prove what no one else believed. I kind of desperate searching for more evidence.

After I came out I could still see why I believed what I initially believed. But it had got to the point where that idea had essentially ruined my life and I hadn’t died yet so realised I was safe enough from evil forces and that basically it didn’t matter whether it was true or not. So in his case; the clones haven’t killed me yet so I am probably ok, and they either exist or they don’t but regardless of all that I have to focus on rebuilding my life.

This all sounds bizarre potentially to people who haven’t had psychosis or doctors who have treated it. As if it’s a choice. It’s not in the deep depths of a crisis but when your on the edge of a dip it really can be a choice. You can either chase into the delusion or ignore it / actively avoid potential triggers until it goes away. I had to quit all tv, media, books, writing, anything communicative for nearly 6months.

I am not sure if any of the above made sense. I would fight tooth and nail op to get him admitted. The sooner you receive help the more likely the chance of full recovery. I received help within 2 weeks of my first episode. Inpatient for 4 weeks. Daily input for months after at home. Weekly psychiatrists, weekly psychologists and cbt for 6 months. Now fully recovered for over half a decade. No medication past the 6 months. Only issue now is I am ineligible for life insurance.

Goodluck

Just saw your post and I haven’t read all of the responses. I would suggest a brick phone without camera if you have an old one available it would great just in case as some hospital don’t allow iPad or phone with cameras. Of course they will tell you once your there. Hope you are copping well.

@LemonSwan , it s good to hear that you have a full recovery and wish you continue to do well and better and better in life.
My dd had her 1st episode 3 years ago when she was 14 during lockdown. She was in a mental unit for 3 months. It took her just under three years to get quite well and started meeting up with friends and have a normal life etc. Unfortunately she just had another relapse a few weeks ago. Right now she is seeking for help from her gp. She experienced a lot of unfair treatments in her college, which is a long story, they really stressed her out.
May I ask if you ever know the trigger of your psychosis, dont bother if you don’t want to share. Are you able to have a very normal life e.g. study, have pay job, have friends?
I am worried about my daughter s future. I am considering an alternative provision for her at the moment.

@calmingdown

Hi there, so sorry to hear about your dd. Yes I can identify the specific case of my episode. As you know it’s a long story and lots of factors just collided, but the overall thing I think was stress and a feeling of being attacked. Being so stressed I just couldn’t rationalise anymore and just lost sight of where the threat ended.

As it was a first episode I was quite naive as well and chased into it in a way. Now I do a number of things to try to ensure it will never happen again. Getting outside regularly, me time, taking lots of exercise, taking impromptu holidays if I need them (like a kind of extended mental health day), getting lots of sleep, switching of from social media and too much screens. Being careful with prescribed medications because often gp forgets I had this episode and some are risk for relapse (a recent one was post partum insomnia meds). Just general self care.

I have an entirely normal life. Obviously my partner knows and my older friends and close family but newer friends, colleagues, anyone else would never know. As I said even my gp forgets even though it’s plastered all over my records.

I lost my job during the section as it was extended time and I couldn’t really advocate for myself and didn’t feel well enough to fight it. It took me a while to get better and after 6 months I took a very flexible part time hobby job. A year after my section I started my first business and a few years after my second. I continue to do all 3. I consider myself reasonably successful for someone early 30s. I control my time, what work I do and don’t, what I charge. I own a lovely home, have a toddler now, still have my partner and friends.

I think I was lucky as I was later 20s when my episode happened. So I knew who I was before hand and it was a struggle to get back but I had a framework for what that looked like. It must be very difficult for your dd because she’s still forming all of the elements of herself and her life and future. The one benefit of that is she has nothing to lose. I nearly lost everything in my first episode but it was an opportunity to start from scratch and reshape my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my psychosis. If she can take that ethos ‘don’t let it define YOU, but allow this as an opportunity to redefine your life how you want it’ - then I think she can do well. There are many of us wandering around, potentially sitting next to you at work and you really would never know.

@LemonSwan Thanks so much for your reply. It s lovey to hear that you re getting along with a normal life and happy in yourself. Thanks for your kind words. It s a real struggle to take care of her. I can only do my best for her within my power. Unfortunately the college staff supposed to take care of her and other kids had no ideas what they re handling. The staff stressed out all many kids with mental health needs. Now we re in a very difficult situation as dd s very anxious to return in September but also anxious not being able to have any GCSEs if she doesn’t go back. Many parents complained about the college and a number of staff have been sacked last term. Now I don’t even know if she will be well enough to continue her course in September. I m keeping a very open mind atm and also exploring other specialist provisions.

@calmingdown It sounds very difficult. From what I have discussed with my partner and family I think the whole thing was harder on them than on me so make sure your getting support too.

Removing stress and over stimulation and just resting the mind is no bad thing. I literally did that for 6 months. No tv, no screens, no reading, no anything. Tried to get outside as much as possible and just restore the mind listening to nature. My part time hobby job was gardening. I think that helped a lot and why I still do it. Having something easy, manual and repetitive in a relaxing way allows the brain to process and file without you having to think about it. There was the healing from the psychosis I had to do, and also the healing from the trauma of having my freedom stripped away and my life’ fall apart in an instant. It’s quite a lot to deal with and I was a very self assured, confident and capable young woman before hand. I can only imagine how your dd is feeling as that must be much more difficult at a younger age.

With that in mind I would do as much as you can to avoid another relapse and if that means not prioritising GCSEs then so be it. You really need to get to 1 year, then 3, then 5 then 10. These are the big milestones reducing risk every time. The fact she got to 3 years is great news and very promising. Education is so important but every time she has an episode she’s more likely to have another, more likely to have psychosis turn from acute episodes to something permanent like schizophrenia. She has her whole life to learn and gain qualifications. She only has a limited number of chances to allow her brain to heal from these events.

@ LemonSwan I m not pushing her for GCSEs at all. I just want her to recover and develop a more relaxed & positive attitude towards life. She was doing very well upto the beginning of last term. The way the college staff handled her really undid all the good work from her mental health team and myself. It s very disheartening to see her being bullied and set back by people who should be helping her.
The problem is all specialist provisions re always in high demand. They are always already full with both day or residential places. Also another thing that plays on her mind alot is the fact that all her friends already either in sixth form or doing some level 2/3 courses which sometimes makes her feel very left out yet being able socializing and staying in touch with friends are also important remedies too.
i m contemplating paying private English and maths lessons for her but she needs to be well enough first so i can to go to work.

@calmingdown

It does sound very difficult. I assume she’s 17ish now? I am not saying don’t do anything at all. Just wondering whether there’s any alternatives like vocational apprenticeships, volunteering or internships. Perhaps working caring for rescue animals or a wildlife trust or something which will give direction without being pressured.

I don’t know anything at all about the ins and outs of her mental health issues or challenges. All I know is that not being around ill people was also important for my recovery - my psychiatrist specifically said don’t join the day support group after my release and don’t make friends or keep in contact with anyone in here - so I am not sure if I would want to go down specialist provision if it was my child.

You are much better placed to know what’s best though so if you are certain that’s what she needs then go for it and keep pushing.

@LemonSwan “not being around ill people was also important” I totally agree. I encouraged her to attend cadets where dd has got very positive interaction with a variety of young people and the adult leaders. She has learned a number of very useful skills which really has helped her confidence. Fortunately she joined the cadets as it s helped proof to herself and the college that she can learn and she can achieve in a properly managed environment.
The major problem I have atm is that while being a full time carer I have no or very little time and headspace for anything else. But thanks for your inputs.