Anonymous wrote:I would make sure he doesn't have any access to guns. Talk to the husband to check.

THIS!!!!! Is anyone paying attention here?

Anonymous wrote:Just went through this for the first time with my mother. No history of depression or any mental illness but developed mania in the past couple of weeks. Wound up calling the police to bring her to ER and she received a psych evaluation there and the following day was sent to mental facility (not sure of the proper name) involuntarily in an ambulance. She can't receive any visitors and is being drugged involuntarily (she doesn't think anything is wrong with her so wouldn't be compliant) She didn't seem to be a threat to anyone else or herself so not her how she got admitted and why it's so hard for your cousin. Does it vary by state?

I don’t know if this varies by state. But this was our experience in MD. There was no contact until my son was lucid and competent enough to sign the privacy waivers. We didn’t even know where he was sent until an ambulance bill arrived. What we later learned was that he became violent and uncooperative in the ER one time and another he attacked ER staff but I really don’t know how bad it got because he didn’t remember after all of the drugs he was given.

I doubt this varies much by state since privacy laws are federal. But some facilities might be looser with their enforcement.

Anonymous wrote:Something has induced the psychosis. Is he sleeping?

I would take him to the ER. He needs to say he would hurt himself or others. Then that will do a mandatory 72 hour hold. Once admitted, they will zonk him out with tons of drugs until he's knocked out. That will typically get them out of the psychosis within 2-3 days.

This has happened to a sibling 5 times. We now know the drugs needed.

It really really sucks but I promise it can get better.

Are they. Bipolar or do they have underlying mental illness?

Something has induced the psychosis. Is he sleeping?

I would take him to the ER. He needs to say he would hurt himself or others. Then that will do a mandatory 72 hour hold. Once admitted, they will zonk him out with tons of drugs until he's knocked out. That will typically get them out of the psychosis within 2-3 days.

This has happened to a sibling 5 times. We now know the drugs needed.

It really really sucks but I promise it can get better.

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a schizophrenic episode.

Which would be very weird to have a first episode at 50

Has he had Covid recently? My aunt developed paranoid delusions following a mild case of Covid.

Just went through this for the first time with my mother. No history of depression or any mental illness but developed mania in the past couple of weeks. Wound up calling the police to bring her to ER and she received a psych evaluation there and the following day was sent to mental facility (not sure of the proper name) involuntarily in an ambulance. She can't receive any visitors and is being drugged involuntarily (she doesn't think anything is wrong with her so wouldn't be compliant) She didn't seem to be a threat to anyone else or herself so not her how she got admitted and why it's so hard for your cousin. Does it vary by state?

OP here.

Thanks to all for your input and suggestions!

Spoke to longtime family lawyer about best steps and what to expect.

My cousin knows something is wrong but still has enough wherewithal to lie to protect himself and to cover up his delusions. Because of this my cousin has been unwilling to go to doctor visits that have been set by his husband nor to psychiatrist visits also set by his husband.

According to my lawyer, the quickest way to get my cousin a three day involuntary admission to the hospital is to:

Go to a local county/municipal crisis center in-person
- Fill out affidavit w/a social worker
- Take affidavit to Probate Court
- Need Social Security number of individual
- Probate judge will issue order
- Transportation to the hospital:
- Probate judge order goes to Sheriff to transport to individual to the hospital
* No other documents are required for this process

Do you know if he lives in Columbus proper or a suburb? If so, it would help to share which suburb. Depending on the location it may be easier to get the assistance of a mobile crisis unit or the police even if he doesn’t commit a crime; there is some weird stuff with city vs township police but maybe we can help narrow down the jurisdiction.

I’m from the area and Harding was always where people ended up in crisis but even before laws about involuntary commitment changed, it was very difficult to get there. The last person I know who was admitted had delusions and really scary behavior for years, but it took her walking into a building, making a bomb threat, and holding the “detonator” (a phone) and getting arrested to be committed. Her family was so relieved.

I’m sorry you’re going through this, OP. We have been in a similar situation with my SIL for years but she has yet to do anything violent or dangerous so we don’t have options to intervene. It’s especially hard when you are the IL navigating the dynamics of a family of origin that you’re on the outside of.

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by edging closer? Thoughts of harming others and especially auditory hallucinations relating to harming others are taken very very seriously.

If he has a psychiatrist that person should be informed (even with no permission to talk to them they can listen) and there are usually civil procedures to get someone taken to the hospital for evaluation and possible commitment-in Maryland it’s called an emergency petition. A family member can do it or the police can if things are so bad that they are called.

I would also inform his pcp. You should use the words “50 year old with no psych history now with new onset psychosis” or similar (if that’s the case.) it’s unusual and needs a full work up in addition to keeping him and others safe. Good luck!

It does need a full workup but if the guy won't go to a doctor or hospital the only thing that's going to work is if the police bring him there, which probably involves him committing a crime first. It's a mess. I agree with the PP who suggested basically conning him into it by saying maybe someone put a chip in his head and a scan can find it.

I would make sure he doesn't have any access to guns. Talk to the husband to check.