There is little support for those who face the stigma of being sectioned

Huge changes need to be made to current policies and the law on mental health to help vulnerable people after they have gone through traumatic experiences and then have to live with the shame that comes from having being sectioned

Frank my brother had a nervous breakdown and never, really, recovered. (Getty Images)

One day I got a call from the police to say they had found Frank walking along the tracks at King’s Cross Underground Station. He was very nearly hit by an oncoming train. My heart sank. I felt totally at a loss what to do.

My brother, Frank, had been suffering from schizophrenia for a number of years. It all manifested many years ago when we were living in the family home but, by force of circumstance, found ourselves evicted. Four weeks after we left our home, living day-to-day on friends’ and family members’ sofas, Frank had a nervous breakdown and never, really, recovered.

When I visited him in the hospital where he had been sectioned and spent an hour in his company, I knew immediately that something was intrinsically wrong with him. He would not make eye contact and he was unable to form words, only guttural noises, sounds of pain and anguish. He was never the same after that.

Once they released him six months later, he slowly started to resemble the brother I once knew and loved, but to all intents and purposes that person was now gone and would never be coming back. To this very day, he has periods when he can function semi-normally then, seemingly out of nowhere, his illness will rear its ugly head and the long weeks and months of worrying and fretting about whether he is alright and not at danger from self-harm or suicide are back with a vengeance.

As a family, we have had to be very strong and be a source of comfort and security for Frank. Without us, his family, he would have no one. Over the course of an illness like schizophrenia, friends and acquaintances tend to fall by the wayside, wearied by the constant battle of trying to keep up and understand where you’re coming from. The one thing that keeps him going and gives him a sense of belonging in this world is knowing that no matter what happens or the crazy things he does, that we will always be here for him, through the thick and thin of his mental illness.

Just a few weeks ago he came over talking about government conspiracies and acting erratically. It was very obvious that he wasn’t well. Once he started to be physically aggressive to my sister I had to step in and try to stop him as I could see the situation spiralling out of control. We decided to get him sectioned again and make that dreaded phone call.

It’s sad knowing that he is going through another one of his phases but it is a comfort to know that he is in the best place that he can be and will be looked after by a team of great mental health professionals in a secure unit until he is himself again and able to function normally.

Huge changes need to be made to current policies and the law on mental health to help vulnerable people after they have gone through traumatic experiences and then have to live with the stigma that comes from having being sectioned. In the current system, once a person has been through a nervous breakdown or some other form of mental health episode, and has received powerful medications to deal with whatever they are going through - they are left to fend for themselves.

There is an online NHS help portal called Healios aimed at empowering patients and families affected by mental and physical illnesses. However, it is a system designed to support blanket mental health cases. Each patient is different regardless if they share the same illness or similar conditions. To be successful any long-lasting treatment has to fully consider and take into consideration all aspects of that particular patient’s condition and home environment.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are cases of patients who have had access to excellent services that have helped them turn themselves around and get back to a normal reality. With this support, many have gone onto to live fulfilling lives, returned to work and re-engaged with their families or communities in general.