How to persuade Mum to accept help with hallucinations?

[Smarties88]

My Mum has been having auditory hallucinations for a few months and she now believes the voices can take over her body and made her smash up all mirrors in her home yesterday. She has also become incontinent. I contacted her G P last month without her knowledge but the receptionist said I couldn't speak to a Dr as I don't have POA for Mum. Mum phoned the Police about the voices but they arranged for her to speak to a help line and Mum then refused to speak to them. Mum is refusing to seek help or allow me to get her help. The Police just advised I phone 999 if she is a danger to herself and has lost capacity. Mum has lost her job and I'm not allowing her to watch my Daughter any more until she accepts help. How do I persuade her that the voices aren't real and that she needs help? I'm exhausted with her middle of the night phone calls.

Go back to GP emphasise it’s a mental health crisis, deteriorating mental state ask for urgent assessment. The receptionist can’t triage or make a clinical decision the go needs to determine an appropriate intervention
Google home treatment team or crisis team in your local mental health nhs contact them,as above emphasise the urgency
or attend A&E ask for psychiatric liaison for an assessment

How old is she? This may sound odd but when elderly people or get urinary tract infections (UTIs) it can cause hallucinations, dementia symptoms etc.

Posted too soon
sorry your mum is unwell. Your mum needs an assessment of her needs, risk to self, and a treatment plan. Is this her first episode of psychotic symptoms? Has she been admitted to mental health inpatient unit before

UTI delerium has an acute onset (few days) it won’t last months

Mum is 63. She has never had any mental health problems before

^This is what you need to do.

Oh and you won’t be able to convince mum the voices aren’t real. And why would she want help for something she thinks is real, but you’re the one whose decided they’re not real.

That’s what a hallucination is….you genuinely think it’s real when it isn’t. She needs immediate mental health help. Fortunately there are great anti-psychotics these days and with the right medication and psychological intervention her psychosis could be q brought under control.

It appears to be stopping and starting. Some days Mum is very scary and agitated but then other days she is a lot calmer but very quiet

Ok, you can call crisis team 24/7
you can call out of hour gp
yiu need an assessment to determine how to safely manage this,for you , for mum
Her presentation will fluctuate. Sometimes quiet, other times aroused. Quiet doesn’t mean resolution, it may just mean fatigue , tired
in The moment the auditory hallucination is real, distinct and something mum experiences. One cannot disavow anyone of a psychotic belief by disputing it

I also really recommend that she is investigated for UTI as paranoid hallucinations and incontinence can be caused by this condition. A relative was hospitalised for similar symptoms, the dip test was negative but fortunately she was treated for UTI right away due to her history. The delirium took 2 months to go away entirely and she was left with permanent and life changing problems due to the delirium. Paranoia was distressing and one of the worst symptoms of her delirium. She also had very quiet, subdued days.

Of course, this may not apply to your mum, but I thought I would mention it in case it is helpful. Wishing you both well.

Completely agree.
Book an appointment with her gp go pass on your concern and fears, say outright that you just need gp to listen and don't expect them to give you any of her medical info.

It's completely normal to do this and in far less worrying situations.

Sorry to read that your relative has had poor health and a lasting impairment @bluestripeymug I hope things get better for her

The receptionist is muddled, relative doesn’t need POA to a report a health concern to a GP
As I said emphasise urgency to GP
Call home treatment team or Out Hour GP

The basic info on the NHS website might help you: Psychosis

There are Early Intervention in Psychosis teams, to avoid treatment delays, eg: NHS EIP

EIS will treat if first episode and untreated, the remit is first episode psychosis not prompt treatment per se .
so of it is a recurrence of a psychotic illness that wouldn’t meet EIS criteria

My DS had this turned out to be an abscess in his mouth.

Post menopause UTI is so common that needs checking.

The receptionist is an idiot, contact GP tomorrow

OK so as I said GP or Psych liaison at A&E tell then it’s first episode psychosis
and I wish you and mum well
vast majority mental illness is treated in community