Involuntary commitment

[laddyfinnie]

I'be been struggling with my Thai mother's psychological problems for 15 years now. Lately she has been getting worse.

She does not work, she does not have any friends. She refuses to believe that there is anything wrong with her.

Her sister, my dad and me all want to help her. Is there anything in Thai law that would allow for her to be forcefully hospitalized and cared for?

I don't have much money, so I would prefer if it could be handled under public care. But if not, I am open to suggestions for private care as well.

It would have to be against her will. 

What would my options be? Can I get a court warrant? What is the best way to proceed?

[CharlieH]

I would have thought the obvious route would be to discuss what options are available via your/her family Doctor. He/she will know what options are available and could even make a referral for possible assistance.

[laddyfinnie]

She does not have a family doctor. Whenever I take her to a doctor she would never voluntarily see a specialist in mental health. This is the essence of the problem. What I need is for her to be involuntary committed. 

Edited May 14, 2017 by laddyfinnie

[swissie]

1 hour ago, laddyfinnie said:

She does not have a family doctor. Whenever I take her to a doctor she would never voluntarily see a specialist in mental health. This is the essence of the problem. What I need is for her to be involuntary committed. 

You best leave it up to the Thai Family, while you keep a low profile. It may backfire on you in unexpected ways.

Cheers.

[laddyfinnie]

1 minute ago, swissie said:

You best leave it up to the Thai Family, while you keep a low profile. It may backfire on you in unexpected ways.

Cheers.

 

I'm the only Thai family left that cares about her. 

[Upnotover]

32 minutes ago, laddyfinnie said:

 

I'm the only Thai family left that cares about her. 

If you are Thai and she is Thai then this seems a very strange place to be asking this question, are there not Thai based forums for this kind of thing?

[swissie]

36 minutes ago, laddyfinnie said:

 

I'm the only Thai family left that cares about her. 

If you are really Thai, you know that you would need some Family Consensus. You could not go this alone, otherwise sooner or later, some Family Members will call you "a bad daughter". And then?

Cheers.

[Sheryl]

It is possible to involuntarily commit someone but only if a psychiatrist certifies that it is necessary. Usually that would be because the person is a danger to themselves or others, or so demented that they cannot take care of themselves..

 

If you think she fits that criteria then you will have to take her to a psychiatric hospital for examination, and admission will depend on whether the doctor agrees. Possibly you could go first yourself and describe her condition to the doctor, but they will still need to see her to make a determination.

 

There are several government hospitals specializing in psychiatry. Where do you live?

 

 

[laddyfinnie]

6 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

It is possible to involuntarily commit someone but only if a psychiatrist certifies that it is necessary. Usually that would be because the person is a danger to themselves or others, or so demented that they cannot take care of themselves..

 

If you think she fits that criteria then you will have to take her to a psychiatric hospital for examination, and admission will depend on whether the doctor agrees. Possibly you could go first yourself and describe her condition to the doctor, but they will still need to see her to make a determination.

 

There are several government hospitals specializing in psychiatry. Where do you live?

 

 

Thanks for the reply. The only sensible one so far. I live in Bangkok. Went to the hospital with her a couple of months back, she had a huge laceration in her head, and even then it was hard to get her to go.

 

Can the doctor or a court make her go to an evaluation?

 

The building manager where she lives (she owns the apartment), has on numerous occasions mentioned that she harasses her neighbors. And I suspect she got that laceration by being physically attacked. 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2017 by laddyfinnie

[Sheryl]

I don't think you can get a court order without her first being seen by a psychiatrist, but I am not an expert in this. Usually what happens with people who cannot even be brought to a hospital is that the police are called and they help bring the person in.  But they are only going to do that if the person appears in danger, danger to others or obviously demented.  A woman who looks uninjured and quiet and can talk rationally but whose daughter is worried because XYZ, police are unlikely to do anything.

 

I suggest you start by making an appointment yourself and discussing the situation with a psychiatrist. Government pysch hospital in Bangkok area is:

 

http://www.somdet.go.th/Eng/main.php