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Mental health

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Original poster

Young Girl Sectioned

22 replies

cleanasawhistle · 14/08/2016 22:17

My friends 18 year old daughter has been sectioned.
She took an overdose twice last week and she knew how many to take as not to do any damage so not a serious suicide attempt.

She was admitted to the local hospital for one night.
Her parents were told on Friday that she had to be moved to another hospital due to lack of beds.

So the girl was moved 50 miles away on Friday. Her parents went to visit her today and when they arrived they were directed to a building in the middle of no where ....so she was never sent to the other hospital ,she is in a mental assylum.

The parents have complained to the staff today saying she is not ill enough to be in that place. They have been told there is nothing they can do because you areadmitted there you have to stay 72 hours and her assessment isnt due until Tues afternoon.

Is there anything that can be done ?
Any information would be very much apprieciated

OP posts:

AndNowItsSeven · 14/08/2016 22:19

There are no asylums in the uk today. 72 hours is standard to wait for an assessment so her parents need to wait.
As this " young girl" is an adult it is up to her what involvement her parents have.

StealthPolarBear · 14/08/2016 22:21

By mental asylum I assume you mean inpatient unit?
It is shit she's so far away and I think that's one of the big failings in MH services for young people.
I hope she's home and improving very soon.

anyname123 · 14/08/2016 22:22

The 72 hours thing would suggest a section 136, google it for further info, basically means she needs to remain in that ward until she has had a full psych assessment then will either be detained under section, offered a voluntary admission, or will be free to leave.
Obviously she came to the attention of mental health services somehow, and this is now the result. Not much her parents can do about it really.

AgentJ · 14/08/2016 22:22

She's bloody lucky to have found an inpatient mental health bed that quick.

Original poster

cleanasawhistle · 14/08/2016 22:24

Sorry if I should not have used the term mental asylum.

The girl has asked her parents to get her out of there.She is terrified and her poor parents don't know what to do next.

OP posts:

ApocalypseSlough · 14/08/2016 22:26

It's so hard because the stakes are so high. They may have over reacted but surely that's better than underreacting. Support her parents by listening and offering practical help. They don't know the full picture and you know even less. Help them help her access the support she needs.

anyname123 · 14/08/2016 22:27

Find out her legal status, that makes all the difference. Without trying to sound hugely unkind maybe this experience will help her to seek out more constructive ways of coping in future, overdosing at "safe" limits can so easily turn out to be a fatal mistake, one that she hopefully won't make

StealthPolarBear · 14/08/2016 22:28

Poor girl :(

cestlavielife · 14/08/2016 22:36

Hard for them all.... but She is legally an adult not a young girl.
It is down to mh professionals to assess her suicide attempt ..... the parents need to work with professionals and provide any relevant info but the girl is an adult.
My experience of exp when on mh crisis was he was saying he didn't need help when he did...let the professionals assess her.
Suggest to the parents the call MinD or rethink to understand the processes and what will happen next .

cestlavielife · 14/08/2016 22:37

Www.mind.org.uk they can call the helpline tomorrow ask about advocates etc

Original poster

cleanasawhistle · 14/08/2016 22:38

I feel for the whole family.
Her parents are so upset after visiting her today.

Not sure what the girl was trying to achieve with the fake overdoses,all she will say is that she wasn't happy with the way they treat her and she was fed up with it.

OP posts:

Original poster

cleanasawhistle · 14/08/2016 22:39

Thanks for info,will pass that on

OP posts:

NeedAScarfForMyGiraffe · 14/08/2016 22:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NoMudNoLotus · 14/08/2016 23:02

As a mental health nurse scarf & cest la vie are in the right.

Detaining somebody is not taken lightly at all. She is adult - & with that comes the fact that her parents may not know everything surrounding the reason for section. It is all dependant on what this young woman consents to them knowing.

NoMudNoLotus · 14/08/2016 23:03

To be clear there is no "safe" amount of tablets to take.

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 15/08/2016 20:09

She will be being held on a section 5:2 where a doctor believes that she needs inpatient psychiatric treatment. You can't appeal against a 5:2, but within 72 hours she will be assessed by 2 psychiatrists and a mental health social worker, who will decide whether to keep her in hospital under a section 2 for 28 days for further assessment of what is going on, or on a section 3, for treatment up to 6 months - though it doesn't mean she will be kept there for 6 months.

Alternatively, they may come to an agreement with her that she will stay voluntarily for treatment and stay as an informal patient, not under section.

Mental health beds are like hens teeth. It is almost impossible to get admitted to a mental health ward, and only those most in need and the most unwell are admitted. The fact that she has been admitted and they want to assess her for treatment says that there is a lot more going on here than you know, and quite possibly that her parents know.

The PP who called this manipulative needs to go and have a word with themselves. Suicide attempts are rarely manipulation, and if that was the case, they'd not have admitted her.

The PP who said this was a 136 is mistaken, that is where the police detain you if you are unwell in a public place.

Hope is helps.

MisshapesMistakes · 15/08/2016 20:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 15/08/2016 20:15

Also, to clarify further. When you are detained under a section 5:2, it is explained clearly to you what is happening, why it is happening and what your rights are. You are given a start time and a time by which you will have been seen.

This will have been explained to the girl in question when she was admitted. I think she's scared and worried, but it would appear she's not giving her parents all of the details of what has gone on.

MisshapesMistakes · 15/08/2016 20:18

I apologise, I spoke out of turn there due to my own experiences. I hope their daughter gets help.

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 15/08/2016 20:18

When I was last sectioned, I couldn't have told you why or what was going on either. It was a sign of being really quite unwell. The people who will have decided to hold her under a 5:2 will not have done it lightly, and it's quite, quite possible that she's very ill and doesn't fully realise it.

Original poster

cleanasawhistle · 15/08/2016 20:51

Thank you so much Keema, take care

OP posts:

Enjoyingtheattention · 19/08/2016 22:59

Keema has given you extremely sound information. Nobody is admitted onto an inpatient ward without there being strong concerns that the individual may be a risk to themselves or others. This young woman obviously needs the opportunity for a proper assessment of her mental health needs and a treatment plan if indicated.

Adult mental health services support individuals from aged 18yrs. In fact a 16 yr old can see their GP without parental involvement. She is being treated as an adult.

Best of luck with your continued recovery Keema.

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