How to get someone involuntarily committed?

One of my family members is out of control. She's a mother and seems to be manic depressive, and when depressed will disappear for days at a time, abandoning her own child. She does have depression meds, but she routinely self-medicates with whatever doses she wants plus alcohol. When she's not depressed, she is a monster of human being. She listens to no one and is impossible to deal with. She's in the process of getting divorced and has her own place.

We haven't heard from her in days. She's probably holed up in her apartment. What are our options for helping her?

What would it take to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility?

One of my family members is out of control. She's a mother and seems to be manic depressive, and when depressed will disappear for days at a time, abandoning her own child. She does have depression meds, but she routinely self-medicates with whatever doses she wants plus alcohol. When she's not depressed, she is a monster of human being. She listens to no one and is impossible to deal with. She's in the process of getting divorced and has her own place.

 

We haven't heard from her in days. She's probably holed up in her apartment. What are our options for helping her?

 

What would it take to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility?

I'm so sorry to hear this. I have an alcoholic father who I tried to have involuntarily committed to either a mental health or rehab facility after things started getting severely out of hand. Honestly, I've learned the hard way that there's basically nothing you can do about this (assuming you live in the states).

My dad got severely intoxicated one day last year (he's 80 years old by the way...), dropped prescription medication on the floor that the dog almost picked up, slipped and fell, and also got in a fight with the neighbors and threatened to shoot them in one day. He went to the hospital because of his injuries from falling and to have routine test done to make sure he wasn't injured or anything. While over there, I rushed to the hospitals psyc division to see if I can one and for all do something to make him stop drinking. He's been drinking for decades and the past year it severely escalated when my mother had to temporarily be put in a nursing home to recover from stomach surgery.

I talked to a specialist who had me fill out several forms for over an hour to attempt to "302" my dad, which is the code they use for involuntarily rehab/psyc commitment. I told them everything above; the pills, the death threats, his bad habits, and irresponsibility. I get a call within THREE minutes later from the county office who could have authorized the 302 saying my request was denied, and I was smoking out the ears (and would like to find and punch in the face who denied it). They said my dad didn't fit the criteria for a 302 or something, and that he wasn't mentally imcomptant (which he is when he drinks).

Upon arguing with his PCP and other people, I made several calls to state/county offices for rehab services. The bottom line; it is just f'ing impossible to have someone involuntarily committed. I know you're talking about psychiatric, but my dad was someone in the same department with his age and the drinking. I tried so desperately hard to do something with him. He refuses to do rehab and refuses to change, and is surrounded by people that enable his bad behavior.

The whole system SUCKS. The only time they want to help people is after they hurt or kill someone, in which case it is too late. The laws for this nonsense has to change. I understand personal freedoms, but the requirements shouldn't even exist for how insanely strict they are. I was told this by one of my dad's PCP nurses. If you have power of attorney (POA) for someone, you have much greater merit to involuntarily commit someone. The problem is, getting them to sign it, and doing so while they are competent (otherwise, it can be thrown out in court). A POA gives huge power over an individual and gives someone else the ability to make all the decisions they can. I have PA over my mother, but unfortunately not my dad. The nurse said if I had this and he refused to go to rehab next time, I could act on his behalf to accept the rehab. There would be hearing to follow where a judge/court official could authorize a 302 request. But, without the POA, I'm screwed, and you would be too.

You can research this yourself, and I'm only speaking again for the laws in the states (if you live CA, UK, or somewhere else I would hugely urge you to read elsewhere because the rules could be totally different). But here, no way. No one wants to help people here, there are hardly enough facilities to help people, and the laws/system is designed to make you lose.

If she is abandoning her child you can call the department of children and families and they can help her get treatment while someone cares for the child.

One of my family members is out of control. She's a mother and seems to be manic depressive, and when depressed will disappear for days at a time, abandoning her own child. She does have depression meds, but she routinely self-medicates with whatever doses she wants plus alcohol. When she's not depressed, she is a monster of human being. She listens to no one and is impossible to deal with. She's in the process of getting divorced and has her own place.

 

We haven't heard from her in days. She's probably holed up in her apartment. What are our options for helping her?

 

What would it take to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility?

I would step up to take care of the child. How about the father? Is he a sensible stable presence in the child's life and he is divorcing her because of how she is, or is he just as bad? If he's a good father, maybe support him in getting custody.

Don't have child services step in without having you or a close relative ready and able to take the child in, because you don't want the child pushed through the foster system