Difficult situations As a carer, you might find yourself in any one of several difficult situations. Although these might never happen, it's a good idea to have some idea of how to respond in the event that they do.

In this article

Suicide threats or attempts Violence

The person goes missing Compulsory admission to hospital

Your rights

If someone's threatening suicide, take it seriously. Encourage them to talk about their feelings and, if they have to be left alone, ensure they have the phone number of the Samaritans. If someone does attempt suicide, get medical attention as soon as possible.

Most people who are mentally distressed are unlikely to be violent. But if you think it's a possibility, it makes sense to work out in advance what you'd do. Generally, it's best to remove yourself from a potentially violent situation.

It may become necessary to use the law to protect yourself. Compulsory admission to hospital (see below) is one possibility; another is to apply for an injunction to stop someone entering your home. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau can suggest the best way to approach this.

You should contact everyone who might be able to help and inform the police, who are often the first to hear about someone in a distressed state.

This drastic action should only be used as a last resort, but sometimes it's necessary. Under the Mental Health Act 1983 someone can be compulsorily detained in hospital for their own safety or for the protection of others. The act applies to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland are covered by the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.

As a carer, you may also want to stop someone from being compulsorily detained. You can talk to your local community health council, Citizens Advice or Mind's legal unit.

Under the Work & Families Act, if you work and you're the carer for an adult, you have the right to request flexible working patterns. This applies if you're caring for an adult partner, spouse or civil partner, or near relative.

The definition for near relative includes parents, parents-in-law, adult children, adopted adult children, siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents and step-relatives.

You also have the right to request flexible working if you have a disabled child aged under 18.

Directgov has advice about how to apply for flexible working, which can include flexi-time, compressed hours and working at home.

This article was last reviewed in September 2006.
First published in June 2000.