Mother (late 60s) has severe depression and is being admitted to a psychiatric ward.

[Bluebutterfly]

Does anyone know what is likely to happen in terms of treatment? She has been on and off anti-depressants since I was a child for bouts of mild depression, but this time she has had psychosomatic symptoms(following endless physical checks,the conclusion was that the source of her chronic nausea and pains were not physical), she has been depressed and not eating properly for over 3 months and the anti-depressants have not alleviated any of the symptoms this time at all.

Please, any MNers with personal experiences to share with or advice to give to a concerned daughter living abroad.

As a note, I have a difficult relationship with my parents - father recovering alcoholic, mother depressive = some personal "ishoos" for me over the years.
But I do love her and worry about what is going on...

Have to go out for a while - appreciate any thoughts that you can share in the meantime...

Hope your mother is OK. I have a friend who had similar symptoms, she kept getting ill, and the doctors said that the depression was manifesting itself physically. The first thing they will probably do in the hospital is to check and/or change your mother's medication, and this may be the solution. Hopefully your mother will be able to talk to a lot of people about her problems.

I hope it all works out.

Thanks, yes, I think that she needs to have some sort of therapy to try and address some of the root causes of her depression and her perception of things, but so far has never received any psycho therapy or counselling to address these things. I am hoping that the hospital may be able to provide some therapy, because she has tried many different anti-depressants over the years and anti anxiety remedies and the depression always comes back eventually.