Anyone Work In/Know Anything About MENTAL HEALTH?

[LoveThyNeighbour]

I am a regular poster. I have changed my username for this as this is a well known situation in my area and I would prefer not use my usual name for privacy.

We moved to this house about three years ago, very happy with the house, good enough area etc. We were told about a difficult neighbour (after we moved in of course). She lives two doors down from us, at first we thought she was just a bit cranky and would be a bit of entertainment , however the reality was very different. It became very clear that woman was mentally ill. DH and I, initially, then later a few of our neighbours took on the task of trying to get some help for her, she is estranged from her son and husband. After a long battle we finally got someone to admit that she is mentally ill (in the end it came down to trying to get an ASBO out against her for someone to stand up and say "The woman is ill") and I have heard she has been diagnosed Schizophrenic. She was sectioned (against her will) four months ago.

Today we got a phonecall from one of the neighbours (who this woman has physically assaulted and bullies continually) that she has been informed that she is getting out on Monday.

What I wondered is (if anyone can tell me) is what to expect when she comes out, we are in Scotland so she comes under The Mental Health (Scotland) Act and I believe there have been one or two key changes to the Act, keeping her in past a certain date in Oct if I understand things correctly means they can force medication on her in her own home. Is this true? Will someone come round and make sure she keeps taking her medication? Will we be given some sort of contact if she starts on us again? When she comes out will she know how ill she was and how difficult she was to live beside or will she just see us and think 'awful people who put me into hospital'? She will know it was us, she always knows, everytime we called the Police she would be at our door, seems to have a sixth sense.

Any information or help would be greatly appreciated as I am very worried.

October 5 was the date for the new mental health act Scotland which does have new aspects to it concerning treatment inthe community..powers of detention , etc

Here

Not sure about the Scottish law but she will certainly be closely monitored in the community in the early days after discharge from hospital. Whether she will be seen as someone who meets the criteria for enforced treatment in the community is a different matter. Hard to say what she'll be like- many (most?) people are totally different when their mental health is stabilised.

My brother is schizophrenic and is being Ha Ha cared for in the community. Hes in sheltered housing, theres 7 flats and theres meant to be someone there all the time for support.
At the moment hes walking round in shorts, every hair on his body shaven off and occasionally he sports a hitler moustache.
Will not take medicine but this situation is better than the sleeping in the forest one we had for the last few winters....
Anyway...from what the workers say there is nothing they can do about his medicine other than advise and help him keep appointments. And unless hes at risk himself or going to risk someones elses safety hes free to do as he likes.

hi
as a schizophrenic then they can make sure medication is taken by giving a injection fortnightly. She will probably have a cpn[community psychatric nurse] visit her at home fortnightly to do this. However it is possible she can refuse this which may lead to being sectioned again as a daner to herself or others. In terms of what she will believe regarding yourselves that wont be clear until she is home however she should have some semblence of understanding back if that makes sense.

Thanks for the input, it is reassuring that it seems very unlikely she will be put back in the community and forgotten about. I think possibly she could be under the Compulsory Treatment Order in your link Zippitipitoes. When she was sectioned we were advised that they were going to keep her in until the law changed as this would give them greater powers to enforce treatment. From my own research on the illness (and from memories of a schizophrenic auntie) it seems a characteristic of the illness that someone suffering doesn't want to take medication so hope they will keep a close eye on her.

To be honest I think we are scared as she can be terrifying and violent, it's hard to believe she will be any different but I suppose four months is quite a good amount of time and much could have changed.

I see what you are saying Nemo about finding her feet etc. If she has no recollection of her behaviour and I pass her in the street or her garden I don't want her to think I am rude if I don't smile/say hello but if she is likely to remember I am terrified to try speaking to her in case I am putting myself and my family in the firing line for more abuse.

Sorry to hear about your brother, Charlie.

Just heard from neighbour who has is in contact with the Dr caring for this woman, turns out she is by no means better and the improvement they have have seen could just be in an effort to get out of hospital. Although on a more positive note she is to be visited once a week by a psychiatric nurse and we have a contact at the Psychiatric Ward to report all the small things that the Police aren't interested in, big things still to go to the Police.

Lovethyneighbour, I hope all goes well for you all, I can understand your anxiety about this. One thing I would say is that perhaps take what your neighbour (the one who is in touch with the Dr treating) says with a pinch of salt. No Dr should be giving this sort of information about her treatments and mental state to a neighbour, UNLESS she has been nominated as an advocate or some such thing by the woman concerned.

I worked for many years on our local psychiatric unit so I know how scary it can be when people are as ill as this woman, but I hope I can reassure you that she could well be very different indeed on her return, I do hope so for all your sakes! And it's brilliant that you have a contact at the hospital. Good luck and try not to worry about when you see her - if it was me I think I'd just give a friendly smile and then move straight on - so you and she don't have to interact, but if she wants to (and is indeed in a fit state to!) she can. Good luck!

Thanks dexter, that's reassuring. I'll try just giving her a smile and moving on and see what happens.

This neighbour is not an advocate, I just wonder if a few rules have been bent due to the fact that this woman has no-one and as her immediate neighbours we are bearing the brunt of the whole thing. This is a situation that has been going on in this area for around 30 years (gradually getting worse) with nobody listening.

Hi My grandma was scizophrenic and for 21 years never had any treatment until evenyually she was sectioned as her house was falling to pieces.
She was so nice at times but she would turn very rapidly, i loved her so dearly and was very close with her.
I was devastated when they sectioned her as she was in a unit for 8 months full of much younger people and put on medication.
It changed her, she was scared and frightened, she didnt know how to react in the situation.
When she did eventually come home, her house had been basically rebuilt, my shitty uncle threw loads of her things away.
Yes she was beeter and on the medication, she had home help and mental health nurses, but they changed everything that she knew and at 75 years old i found it disgraceful the way they treated her.
I applied to have to move in with me, but she contracted an apparant stomach bug and was bed ridden, my mum and i stayed with her, we had the doctors round as she was rapidly loosing weight and not eating.
On the last evening me and my mum saw her, we begged her to come back to mine in an ambulance, but she refused, she said she wanted us to go but that she loved us very much. she went to sleep, i slept downstairs as i wouldnt leave her, but when i went up at 6 in the morning she was gone!!!!!!!
In my eyes to a better place.
My advise is that it is a mental health problem that cant be helped with out the right support.
Please make sure that this woman gets help and dont let the authorities do what they say is their best to help, it changed my grandma in to some one she didnt either know herself and gave up!!!
Sorry if i sound harsh but i dearly loved my grandma and sore a side of her that know one wanted to get to know, they just used to call her crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Butty.xxx

It doesn't sound harsh at all butty. This is the very sad thing about this lady, someone in her family should be caring and loving her in the same manner that you loved your grandmother.

We will do all we can within our powers to help her and certainly never deliberately antagonise or upset her (although unfortunately we do manage to do this unintentionally as she is living with a different set of rules/code for living than everyone else in the street).

I do think it is very sad, she is coming back to a house that nobody has been in for four months and one of her things is neatness/cleanliness/redecorating and TBH it seems awful that she is going to go back into the house and nobody will have cleaned it for her.

The system is shit!!!!!!!!!!

You are right about not intentially upsetting her, my grandmother was the same and people used to call her crazy, but they didnt even know her!!!!!!!!
She was lovely, hard work, yes but we had an understanding as did some of the neighbours and i really commend you for what you are trying to do with regards to your neighbour.
You are an extremely kind individual to care enough about what happens to her.
Too many people judge on what they dont entirely know and i feel it is wrong, but we all have our opinions dont we.

Butty.xxx

Lovethyneighbour, it's just occured to me that with your contacts at the hospital, maybe you (if you are willing) could check with them that she has been offered an advocate. There may not be an advocacy scheme where she is but there are lots about so it's worth a try. Locally to me the advocates are there to represent the patients interests and to speak up for what they want. Also, there MAY be a nurse nominated as a resettlement officer, whose job it is to see patients through the time when they return home. You have clearly seen that returning home will be a challenge for this woman so if the advocacy officer and resettlement officer don't exist, you could make the hosp. aware of this, and they could make a helpful resettlement part of her care plan. Just thoughts. I'm so impressed that you have such a helpful attitude towards her despite all the difficulties !!