Mom (76) wants to be voluntarily hospitalized to get to the bottom of her depression, hallucinations and delusions. What do we say to dr?
Mom (76) has been suffering from (we guess) delirium. Voices tell her what to do in detail, and she ends up all over the place, totally disoriented. Sometimes she sees imaginary people, fully formed. She also has moments where she understands she has been hallucinating, and it scares her.
She tells me she wants to be hospitalized and attended by a neurologist and/or psychiatrist to evaluate her medications, test her cognition, run scans, etc. She is tired of being shuttled to an internal medicine doctor and a psychologist and feeling worse each month. The ER has spit her back out twice.
We have another appt with doctor tomorrow. What do we say to get him to order an inpatient evaluation? A real one that takes 5 to 7 days, where they actually try to get to the bottom of things? I'm so afraid mom will be sent away again with more pills and a pat on the arm.
I've spent 52 years naively thinking that people who asked for help could get it and pay for it.
What are the magic words?
Your Mom needs at least a neurologist and then go from there. He could admit her for an evaluation. Or, get a new doctor.
99.9% of the tests that need to be done can be done in an office, other testing can be done outpatient, MRI and things like that.
The only way that they would admit her for an evaluation like this is if she would pose a danger to herself or someone else.
I find it admirable that she is so self aware that she wants to know what is going on with her. So many people feel that there is a stigma with mental health that they are afraid to seek help and understanding.
Give her a ((hug)) from me.