How to get a friend seen by services.
Hi all. I'm based in the UK and I'm seeking advice about a friend who seems to be having a long Manic episode. Long story short - they haven't been diagnosed before and it's having gnarly repercussions on both me and his partner. I'm also their lodger, both me and his partner have had to move out of the house as it's been so overwhelming. This has been going on since February.
Just to bullet point whats been done:
- His partner arranged a Dr's appointment.
- He has monthly NHS telephone mood check-ins with a mental health nurse.
- His mum comes to the house and checks in on him.
- I raised a concern with the NHS Crisis team.
- Still waiting on an assessment (since the March GP appointment)
- I tried to raise another concern, but support person reflected it back onto me and my mental health - as I said that it's triggering bad anxiety for me.
He's become extremely skinny and pretty much eats what his mum drops around. He's been okay around me - just very very intense, like a mischievous intense teenager, but with very repetitive conversations and strange jumbled ideas and theories. However, he's been pretty much harassing his partner - turning up to her work and where she's currently staying, dumping stuff and ranting incoherently at her and her colleagues.
I've tried to convince his partner and his parents to raise concerns with the services, but they're apathetic about it - saying that they already did this at the very beginning.
Normally, I'd have cut and run by now, but I'm broke. My belongings are in that house (I've been sofa surfing in the interim). I intended to move my things in June, helped by his partner who also agreed for me to store things temporarily at her workplace. However, he's getting worse and she now can't go around to the house or store things for me(as he keeps dumping her things at the studio) I don't drive and have a tonne of money (hence lodging with friends) so it's put me in a tricky situation where everything is so fluid (I should add that I'm staying out of county at the moment).
Anyway, how on earth can this guy get seen by the services? He has telephone calls, but they're just to check his mood. Nobody is seeing the terrible state of the house and how ill he looks. The ripple/tsunami of him being untreated is impacting others so badly. I fully respect that the mental health services are stretched at the moment. But he's seriously unwell and very gaunt. it's also not just his mental health that's being impacted - it's three people.
This has been going on for ages. I'm worn out by it and I'm effectively homeless because it's dragging on and on.