Helping Mother in Law-serious issues - Mental Health Message Board

Leigh and John · 01-27-2007, 09:50 AM

This is our first posting on here regadring my mother iin law.
She has suffered mental health problems for many years such as anxiety, nervs, depression etc at times over the years she has been treated at Mental Health Hospitals with electric shock therapy etc

More recently she has deteriorated and is convinced that certain peopl in our area is spying on her and following her. This has got to the point where she is now verbally abusing people and threatening them to stop spying or following her etc.

In a matter of weeks wev'e had her neighbour telling us that she was told to stop spying on her and shes an f'ing c**nt etc

We are seriously concerned with her behaviour and have tried on many an occasion to speak to her and try and assure her etc but she thinks we are trying to cause her more trouble and just wont beleive her.

We really want to be able to get her proffesional help because sooner or later this whole situation could take a turn for the worse.

I started by calling our local mental health hospital where she has previously been treated and they have advised us to speak to the out of hours GP. I have done this also and explained the situation and i am waiting for someone to get back to me.

I need advise on what is best to do, she is going to endager herself if she carries on verbally abusing strangers or i fear that her abuse could result in something more physical.

She doesnt drink and as far as we know she is taking various medications such as anti depressants etc but as she wont allow us to help her its hard to know what else to do.

She also lives alone so she doesnt have constant supervision as such.

Has anyone been in a similar situation that could advise us on what to do. We just want to get her help but i dont know who to turn to and what is best for her?

Thank you

firenice · 01-27-2007, 10:59 AM

By contacting the GP, you are doing what's right. Let the GP decide what is the best course of action; just be sure to give the GP all the information. If she has been taking medications for a while and they have worked in the past, it's possible she needs to be re-evaluted for her medication regime. May be a change in medication would help. Good luck

Leigh and John · 01-27-2007, 11:26 AM

Thank you for your response it really helps.

An out of hours GP is going to see her this evening, she wont allow us to go down whilst he/she is there, she refuses point blank so i think the best thing we can do for all of us is to stay away and hopefully the gp will have been updated on her situation and be able to evaluate her himself.

Other than that we are going to try and see her Gp in the week and update him as chances are he knows nothing of her more recent behaviour as its unlikely she would have told him.

I think she does need some other treatment or medication to help with her paranoia issues etc Im just hoping they will have enough of an effect to help her see more clearly.

Mental health is such a hard condition to deal with and i think at times we all feel at a loss as to how we can help the people that need it. Boards like this help to just get out what your feeling and get responses from people like yourself to reassure you and give you guidance.

Thanks once again