Family: Psychiatrist/Therapy

[Breeze]

Instead of going the long drawn-out route, I'll simply get to my point: Is there any way to have an immediate family member sent to a therapist or psychiatrist?  I realize that that might sound a bit stupid and/or mean but I'm at my wits end.  It was suggested that this person, myself, and a younger sibling all go (by the person in question) and I agreed wholeheartedly and said that that sounded like a really good idea. 

To be frank, shit has passed dysfunctional and gone off into a whole new territory and I am generally concerned AND exhausted with this person.

A few facts that might be important: the person is a parent, the only person that has a job is the younger sibling, I do go to school full-time but have no job.  I do live with the parent and am not in the situation at the moment to be able to leave; I am working on it but the economy and life in general have kicked my ass.  I honestly think the parent might have the beginner's of Alzheimer's or something similar and don't know what to do.  Feel free to ask anything that I haven't listed that might help.

[Aster Breo]

Instead of going the long drawn-out route, I'll simply get to my point: Is there any way to have an immediate family member sent to a therapist or psychiatrist?

I'm not an expert in this area of law, so someone else who IS an expert might be able to give you better info.  But, from what I understand (based on my memories of law school -- which was a very long time ago and my experience with my own family members), in the U.S., an adult can only be involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation if a judge is convinced they're a danger to themself or others.  That is usually a 72-hour hold for evaluation, after which a judge needs evidence of serious (and dangerous, possibly) mental illness to order a longer commitment for treatment.  All that varies by state, so the details might be very different, depending on where you live.

But, based on your description, it doesn't sound like that is appropriate for your situation, anyway.

If you suspect some kind of dementia, it might be better to get the person to a medical doctor for evaluation.  I don't know whether that can be compelled.  Depending on state law, it might be something that could be required as part of sentencing after conviction of a crime. But, again, it doesn't sound like that's appropriate.

Can you find a way to get the person in to see their doctor for a check-up or even for another problem (like a decoy)?  If so, ideally, you could go with them to the appointment to explain your concerns.  But if they don't want you there, you could contact the doctor's office in advance and let them know what's going on.  Patient privacy requirements will probably prevent them from doing any more than listening to your concerns -- they probably won't discuss the patient with you unless they have the patient's permission, unless the patient is no longer competent to make their own decisions, which doesn't sound like the case.

You seem to be in a very difficult situation. I hope someone else will be able to give you better advice.

Good luck!

[Jenett]

A few facts that might be important: the person is a parent, the only person that has a job is the younger sibling, I do go to school full-time but have no job.  I do live with the parent and am not in the situation at the moment to be able to leave; I am working on it but the economy and life in general have kicked my ass.  I honestly think the parent might have the beginner's of Alzheimer's or something similar and don't know what to do.  Feel free to ask anything that I haven't listed that might help.

 
In addition to what Aster suggested - see if you can find a county health department or other social services resource and ask them. (Try googling something like "[county name] [state abbreviation] social services" - if you rather, and you're comfortable PMing me or emailing me through the contact form on my website, and want to tell me where you, I'd be glad to see what I can find, too.) But, for example, my local county hospital has a list.

It's very hard to force someone into treatment unless they're clearly a danger to themselves or others (and there's very good reasons for that) but these days there's an increasing amount of support for early dementia.

If nothing else, there's often resources for caregivers or family members dealing with the stress of the situation, even if you can't get the person causing the concern in to see a doctor.

[Aster Breo]

In addition to what Aster suggested - see if you can find a county health department or other social services resource and ask them.

I *knew* there was something I was forgetting.  

Yes, your local social services and/or health department(s) will be able to tell you the law where you live, as well as help you with local resources and providers.

[Breeze]

I *knew* there was something I was forgetting.  

Yes, your local social services and/or health department(s) will be able to tell you the law where you live, as well as help you with local resources and providers.

Thank you both.  We do have a health department just a couple of blocks down from us so I am going to contact them tomorrow to see what can be done.  The person's not really a danger to anyone, including themself.  I don't know if this is something biological (we do not have dementia/Alzheimer's in our family tree at least as far back as I know) or if it's PTSD-induced stress/depression/something else.   About a year ago the person that this parent had been dating who had been living with us went off the deep end and threatened to kill all of us and it almost happened.  Since then, parent in question has started with all of this.

I'll see what the health department says and go from there.  Thank you both very much!

[Leanan Sidhe]

I'm not an expert in this area of law, so someone else who IS an expert might be able to give you better info.  But, from what I understand (based on my memories of law school -- which was a very long time ago and my experience with my own family members), in the U.S., an adult can only be involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation if a judge is convinced they're a danger to themself or others.  That is usually a 72-hour hold for evaluation, after which a judge needs evidence of serious (and dangerous, possibly) mental illness to order a longer commitment for treatment.  All that varies by state, so the details might be very different, depending on where you live.


Good luck!

 
Yep, that's true. Though I think it does vary some by location. It doesn't have to be a judge -- the hospital can hold them if they're there for self-mutilation/suicide attempts.

I'm not a lawyer, but I've got a lot of experience with this -- a long history of mental health issues in my family, friends, and myself.