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DRINK & DRUGS NEWS :: Q&AYou ask the questions - you answer the questions. Please keep your answers coming, and feel free to email a new question. Thanks to this issue's respondents for their contributions. Question:My brother has completely lost it. I first did magic mushrooms
with him a few years ago and, whereas my use of mushrooms is just
a couple of times a year his usage has ballooned and now includes
a lot of LSD. He also smokes a lot of skunk. He has become paranoid,
reclusive, secretive, won't talk to me, it's like he's turning into
another person. I suspect he's on the edge of some kind of psychosis
but I seem powerless to do anything about it. I am so scared of
getting any doctors or medical advice as I do not want him sectioned
or given any of the chemical coshes I read so much about. Our mother
seems to be in denial and is convinced there's nothing wrong and,
as we're both in our early twenties, she would have no legal power
over him anyway. What should I do? [Danny, Gloucestershire] Your replies...Dear Danny From the information you have given, it would seem unlikely that your brother would be sectioned under the Mental Health Act unless he has a mental disorder which is causing him to be a danger to himself or others. It is important for your brother to try to talk to another person, in a non-confrontational way, about his substance use and the issues that may be connected to it. It is often harder to speak to close family members and if he is reluctant to approach his GP, he could contact a mental health or substance misuse voluntary organisation in your area or contact a helpline in confidence. The National Advice Service run by Rethink (020 8974 6814) can also offer information and support to you. Caroline Hawkings, Mental Health Policy and Campaigns Officer, Turning Point
Dear Danny Mind offers information through our website, www.mind.org.uk and booklets, and may be able to point you in the direction of further expertise (organisations such as DrugScope) through our info line on 0845 766 0163. The following booklets may be of help to you: Best wishes Ruth Goldsmith, Mind
Dear Danny I read your question with interest in the last issue of DDN and while I can't offer any professional advice, I do have personal experience of a similar situation that I thought might be of some help to you. Several years ago I was heavily involved in the party scene, spending every weekend in a different field or warehouse taking various cocktails of ecstasy, LSD, amphetamines, weed (just about everything we could get our hands on). Keeping a grip on reality was a struggle for everyone but I had one friend (we'll call her Mary) in particular who was getting noticeably more and more 'vague'. We tried to talk to Mary several times and tell her to take it a bit easy or have a weekend off, but she refused any such suggestions and continued to go downhill to the point where 90 per cent of the time it was impossible to have a rational conversation with her. She withdrew into herself, would mumble incomprehensibly and was extremely paranoid with everyone including her closest friends and family. She lost her job and her flat and ended up moving from squat to squat, only staying for short periods before being chucked out for being 'too weird'. We discussed trying to get professional help, but no one knew who to turn to and even if we had done we feared for the consequences, the 'chemical coshes' and 'them locking her up' etc in much the way you worry for your brother. Eventually Mary was arrested (for a driving offence). While in custody the police had her examined and her parents were contacted and convinced to give permission to have her committed. Far from being the end, this was the moment that turned things round for her! They did not 'lock her up and throw away the key' as we had feared, nor did they 'drug her up to the eyeballs and turn her into a zombie'. Instead she spent six weeks receiving quality care and attention, being helped to move on for the right reasons and with experts administering the right drugs for her (without a chemical cosh in sight). Not only did they help her stabilise her mental state, they were extremely active on her behalf, helping her find new housing, and guiding her through the maze of forms required to claim benefit. Following her discharge she had a well-structured care plan and received lots of 'hand holding' until she was back on her feet again. Mary has never looked back from this and now has a house and a job and has returned to being the outgoing person she was before 'losing the plot'. I guess what I am trying to say is, don't be afraid of seeking help. The mental health service and the social care system might not be perfect but they are there to help. You shouldn't believe all the scare stories you hear. I hope things haven't got so bad for your brother and I would urge you to speak to someone before they do. Name and address supplied
Dear Danny, It sounds as though your brother is mentally unwell. It may well be that the problem is caused by his drug use only, and would go away if he stopped using. Or it may be that he has a psychiatric condition independent of (but perhaps triggered by) his drug use. Either way, however, there is a limit to what you can do here. You can't get him sectioned even if you wanted to - you need two doctors to do that. And he may indeed not need to be sectioned in any case. The best case scenario would be for your brother to go voluntarily to see a local drug service - who should be able to support him, and refer him on as appropriate. This may seem a remote possibility right now, but lots of people in his position do eventually look for help. You and your mother may be able to help encourage him along these lines - but you may well get the brush off, at least at first. It might also be a good idea for you to find out as much as you can about services in your area - and give him whatever information you can find (contact details, leaflets if you can get any, and so on). And look after yourself in all this too. It must be very difficult to see your brother going through this, but there are services which can help people in your situation also. To find out more about services in your area - for both your brother and yourself (and indeed for your mother too) - try calling the Frank Helpline on 0800 776600. There are also a number of online resources, details of which you can find at www.drinkanddrugs.net (see under 'getting help'). Best wishes, and good luck, Andy Beecham, drug and alcohol worker
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