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Mental Health Can you refuse medication if you are under mental health act/treatment authority?

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Saiyana

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Worst thing they can do is take me to a mental hospital but do they have the right to physically force you to take the medication if you refuse while in the mental hospital. Need some guidance since that maybe where Im headed since I missed my Invega injection this month and cbf reading through legal documents about my rights.

Random question: are most of you Australian? Im Australian
 
Not sure about the laws in Australia, but here in Germany if you're a danger to others they can unemancipate you, meaning you essentially don't have a say about anything in your life anymore, and someone will be appointed to decide for you.

Meaning they can freely fixate, drug you, etc.
 
At one time in my life, I ended up in a state hospital here in the US. A judge ordered me to receive Risperidone injections while I was in the hospital. However, as soon as I was released and began seeing a private psychiatrist, he took me off the injections and I went back on the pill form of the medication.

Like December Flower said, I am not sure about the laws in Australia.

If you missed your Invega injection, are you not able to go to the clinic and ask for them to catch you up on your missed dose rather than sending you to a hospital?
 
Just go-with-the-flow: Whatever they tell you to take, take it. "Yes-Sir, No-Sir" Etc. Maintain a normal sleep schedule. Don't get into any fights - you should be out of there in no time.
 
Saiyana said:
Worst thing they can do is take me to a mental hospital but do they have the right to physically force you to take the medication if you refuse while in the mental hospital. Need some guidance since that maybe where Im headed since I missed my Invega injection this month and cbf reading through legal documents about my rights.

Random question: are most of you Australian? Im Australian
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Hi @Saiyana and welcome to Bluelight <3

I'm Australian (from Sydney) and as far as I know, yes they can and will force you to take medication if you're in a mental institution under the mental health act or a treatment order. As far as I am aware they can hold you in the psych unit until you agree to take the medications. If you're committed under the mental health act you pretty much have to do what they want, otherwise you'll stay in there indefinitely.

Is it the invega injection that they are wanting to give you?
 
Yes it's Invega that I have to take and it's what I have been taking by monthly injection for a year and has made me miserable, have no pleasure, not wanting to do anything and slow in the brain.
 
Saiyana said:
Yes it's Invega that I have to take and it's what I have been taking by monthly injection for a year and has made me miserable, have no pleasure, not wanting to do anything and slow in the brain.
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Oh that's horrible :( I've never had to have invega but I have never once heard anything nice or good about it at all.

Do you think that there is a good enough reason for you to be on invega sustenna? For example, if you're not on an antipsychotic do you have any symptoms that become dangerous or too distracting from daily life e.g. hallucinations, delusions etc? Does the invega make these symptoms go away?
Also, do you have trouble taking a daily medication? Is that why they put you on the injection?

You don't have to answer any of that by the way, if you're not comfortable doing so. But there are a lot of people in this forum who have been court-ordered to have the injections, so there's a lot of support here. You're definitely not alone in this.
 
no you cant refuse medications. the best thing to do is to never end up in a mental hospital. If you dont want to take meds why did you go to a mental hospital. did your parents call the cops on you to force you into one? Thats what happened to me.
 
Saiyana said:
Yes it's Invega that I have to take and it's what I have been taking by monthly injection for a year and has made me miserable, have no pleasure, not wanting to do anything and slow in the brain.
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Sounds like Invega has given you anhedonia. I got the same reaction from Risperdal.

My psychiatrist(s) put me on Abilify (Aripiprazole) when it first came out and I've increased dosage to where I have taken the maximum prescribable amount for over a decade. It has helped me immensely and my anhedonia went away a long time ago.

Now, I'm not a doctor but maybe try talking to your doctor about changing to a different medication. I've heard there are some good third generation anti-psychotics that can be very helpful without the crippling side effects of some earlier ones.
 
When i was in the Psych ward in Canada they didnt forcefully medicate me with anti-psychotics but they did throw me in isolation and shoot me up with Ativan. So i guess they could force any medication on you in there.
 
Saiyana said:
Yes it's Invega that I have to take and it's what I have been taking by monthly injection for a year and has made me miserable, have no pleasure, not wanting to do anything and slow in the brain.
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i hear invegga is real bad, what im on is bad too but it sounds like invegga is worse. why not ask to get switched on a different injection. are you on a community treatment order?
 
@Saiyana I hope you're doing well. I'm going to close this thread now, because discussing, asking for, or giving any legal advice is beyond the scope of the Mental Health forum. Please refer to your mental health team, and/or seek the advice from a legal professional who deals with psychiatric matters. If you have any questions about why your thread has been closed please inbox me any time. I wish you all the very best.
 
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