What can my addicted, depressed relative do?

[NeedAdviceForRelative]

Name changed as this could be outing for relative and I.

TW: drugs, depression, suicide.

It came to light recently that a female relative had been taking crack cocaine. She has a very long history of depression and has had quite a few knocks in life. She‘s in SW England.

She is willing to be helped (she says), but none of the promised help is materialising. She claims to have been ‘off’ the drugs for 2-3 weeks, if true that means cold turkey. Her behaviour is extremely erratic and dangerous.

She registered at a drugs charity. They haven’t got back to her. Her GP got the mental health crisis team to get in touch. After an initial chat they refused to help further as she is using drugs. After a suicide attempt last week she was blue-lighted to hospital, where she was discharged two days later. This evening the police have been out looking for her as she ran away and made suicide threats by WhatsApp.

What has to happen for her to get in-patient care for rehab and to manage the depression?

I live quite a way away, but know the fruitless searches the local relatives have made to find help for her (plenty of listening helplines, but we’re beyond that now).

How do we get her the help she so desperately needs?

Honestly, the ‘help’ available is appalling

Could the relatives apply for her to sectioned?
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/nearest-relative/sectioning-and-guardianships/#:~:text=If%20your%20nearest%20relative%20is,who%20will%20make%20this%20application.

The local relatives include her parents. This might well be an option. Thanks.

Drug addiction is an exclusion for detention under MHA I'm afraid. She isn't going to get sectioned or admitted to a rehab unit.

Inpatient rehab is not offered unless community options have been tried. This is because the relapse rate is nigh on 100% for unplanned detox. She needs to show motivation to address her issues before any admission would be contemplated. Everyone wants the easy option of admission for someone else to take away responsibility.

All drug and alcohol services are self referral and have drop ins. You need to support her to contact the drug and alcohol services again ie sit with her whilst she is calling them or better still take her to a drop in. This is where it needs to start. If I had a penny for all the services that allegedly 'don't call back' / letters that never arrived I'd be very rich indeed. This is usually code for 'I did not answer the phone'/ 'I did not turn up to the appointment'

Services are there but there is an onus on the person to take steps to help themselves

'help' is thin on the ground. It has to come from her.

Unless you have money to pay for a rehab for her and even then, it has to be her taking that step.

Thanks for explaining how it works. I‘m struggling because the MH caused the drugs problem and the drugs problem is fuelling the MH. Relatives are treading on eggshells. Sometimes she will ask for help and accompany them to a drop in, sometimes something small will cause an absolute outburst followed by a suicide attempt. If they did attempt to follow up during an episode I don’t think she’d be able to pick up. Feels a bit catch 22 😔.

Oh my goodness this sounds really hard. I'm not sure where you're based but if either you or your family member is in Hampshire you can look up a charity called PSL who provide free support services for family and friends of people using substances. Hope this is helpful

I am sorry you and your family are going through this.
Unless the addict wants to stop there is nothing anyone can do, unfortunately.
However, if she is willing, then maybe she could go to an N.A. (Narcotics anonymous) meeting. There will be a list of meetings near where she lives and a phone number so someone can meet her beforehand and go with her. There are also meetings on zoom.
As you say, nothing can be done about her mh problems until she addresses her addiction.