How to help a family member showing signs of schizophrenia to engage with professional help for the first time

Hello @Bellringer and welcome to the forums.

This can be a really tricky situation when someone won't engage with professionals to get help. Obviously if you are concerned about their safety you can contact 000 (emergency services) to get them immediate support. I know there are services out there to help families support family members that are struggling, @tyme might be able to help with who to contact.

I hope you can get them the help that they need. Sending you lots of love and strength ♥️.

Such a tricky one and we see this on the forums all the time. That is, a loved one is so unwell that they don't even realise. @Bellringer

Unfortunately, unless the person is unsafe or they are unsafe to others, there's little you can do. Do you feel your family member is safe and safe to be around others?

@tyme my family member is chronically suicidal, but as they are usually not at imminent risk they don’t seem to meet criteria to be admitted as an inpatient in public hospitals.

They are now acknowledging parts of their poor mental health and are open to an inpatient stay, which I think they need to start a process of recovery, but I don’t know if there are options for this besides private psychiatric hospitals? They don’t have private health insurance.

They also have significant alcohol use that they know they need to address but haven’t been able to alone.
They are unlikely to go somewhere that feels like a hospital as most contact with hospitals so far has been unpleasant. They don’t trust any service related to government.

Any suggestions for places that could help?

They live in Sydney

I wonder if you can phone their area mental health team to ask if they have any suggestions. It sounds like medication may need to be sorted out too...

In my recovery, PARCs have been invaluable. These are step up/down services https://www.mindaustralia.org.au/step-step-down-susd-services#:~:text=Delivered%20in%20partnership%20with%20hospitals,the%20community%20(step%20down).

Not sure if you have any Sydney. @Bellringer

Thanks @tyme I have never heard of these services or mind Australia as an organisation. I might be able to follow some links on the site even though there are pretty much no services in NSW. Sounds like step up/down services are really helpful.

I have been baffled talking to our local mental health service that there seem to be few options besides paying for a psychiatrist and psychologist with a mental health treatment plan, or paying tens of thousands of dollars to pay privately for a private hospital inpatient stay.

I’m just hoping that we can get them to a psychiatrist.

Thanks for sharing @Bellringer ,

I wonder if it's worth getting private health for a private admission?

But please know that if he is unsafe to himself or others at anytime, your best best is calling 000 - at least he'll be 'on the system'.

@Bellringer @Parent76

Hi to you both

I just wanted to add my support.

I too know how hard it is.

Getting them to a GP is the only advice I have.

It is very sad that in this day and age someone has to be very unwell and unsafe to get support.

And sadly one of my son’s hospital admissions has traumatised him so much getting to go to hospital voluntarily is pretty impossible.

Take care of yourselves.