How do you go about getting mental health help for an adult that refuses treatment?

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Answer

There isn't much you can do.

You can't legally force someone to get treatment, unless you can prove they are incompetent, or that they are a danger to themselves or others. (There may be other circumstances but I'm not aware of them.) And laws probably vary from state to state.

If their condition is not that extreme, there is nothing you can do at all. If you can persuade, cajole, even coerce them to get help, it will be a wasted effort if they don't really want help or if they believe they don't need it.

It's just like dealing with a drug addict or an alcoholic. If they don't *want* help, no amount of treatment or therapy *will* help.

Answer

While it is true that "help will not be helpful unless it is wanted." However on some occasions one may not realize how much help is needed until they are able to see how beneficial medication may be. In my situation I was in a relationship with a man who became schizophrenic. I would trick him into taking his meds every day, and eventually he started feeling a lot more "normal" and he began taking his meds on his own.

Answer

Really there is nothing that you can do. My sister has a mental illness and we learned very quickly. What I can recommend to you is NAMI, the North American Alliance for Mental Illness. Here you can take a free 12 week class called Family to Family. You will learn a lot about disease processes, local laws, and what you can do as a relative. Its a great class and really helped my whole family. I hope that you will find answers there.

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