Thank you so much, everyone who replied to me. It is such a source of strength to know that there are people out there that know and care. All your comments were really helpful too. I'm sorry I haven't answered sooner - I did look in quickly and read some of the replies but my head was just not in the right place to even try to answer while everything was going on around me.
Jody, my niece, is now in hospital. She was sectioned on Friday. That is what it is called in the UK - I don't know what the equivalent is in the USA - it means she didn't agree to go in of her own free will - a psychiatrist and a mental health officer (a social worker) came up to our house and signed the papers. She was extremely angry about it, threw a mug of coffee at the MHO and also hit me in the face. The psych called for a police car to take her to hospital because an ambulance would take too long to arrive. It was very upsetting - I couldn't believe it was happening - I really expected that the psych would say she was fine and it was me that was over-reacting, but he was in no doubt at all that she is ill and needs treatment. I had written out a list of things she has been saying and doing the last few weeks, because I was afraid she would 'act normal' in front of him, but he told me he knew straight away that she was ill, without even talking to me. She is under observation for the first three days, then he will see her for assessment and probably extend the section for 28 days so that she can be treated and the symptoms brought under control before she comes home. At the moment she says she will not live at home again and no longer regards us as family - she wants to divorce her husband, take the cats and never see any of us again ... But, of course, this is part of the illness too.
I have been looking up stuff on the net about different medications and outcomes, also about the nutritional aspect that Kate mentioned. I am sad that so many people have to deal with mental health problems, whether directly or as family, but also so grateful for all your advice and support.
Best wishes,
Josephine
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Re: Schizophrenia: Update
