On interventions: Sometimes it is your business

Recently, I discovered I didn’t know something important about interventions.

Me: I want to start a conversation about interventions.

Not me: That sounds promising.

Me: But I’m worried about what happens at the end.

Not me: That’s not you’re concern; you’re overthinking.

This was ridiculous. Of course I have to worry about – in this case – what happens at the end. People, fragile people, people very in need of help and support, people who have families who will worry – these people need to know what the reality of their situation is.

The argument wasn’t complicated so much as confusing to me. Not me was getting increasingly huffy, and I had fallen into repetition.

Until finally Not me asked the question: “What are you calling an intervention?”

And I answered.

And he said, “Oh. Didn’t know that.”

What he (Not me) thought an intervention was, was a vaguely more serious version of what he’d seen on countless comedy sketches and sitcoms.

And it turns out that’s what a lot of people think. The rough outline for the scene involves a person with a problem, a gathering of people, and someone announcing, “This is an intervention” (in the same tone you imagine hearing someone say, “This is a stick-up!”).

What I didn’t know was worse. I didn’t know there was this misconception. So at the very least, I was coming at this subject not knowing enough about how confusing it was.

There are different kinds of interventions for different problems and issues. Most people are familiar with the kinds that address problems of addiction, like alcoholism, substance abuse and gambling.

There are also interventions that attempt to treat with psychological or psychiatric problems like serious depressive episodes, eating disorders or a genuine concern that a person may do harm to themselves or others.

One possible end to a mental health intervention is having the person-of-concern committed to a psychiatric facility. In TT, the Ministry of Health has a good listing of clinics and hospitals you can visit, what kind of care they offer, and when they offer it.

Right now, if you need long-term inpatient care (that is, if you need to be hospitalised for a while), the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital is the only place that can provide that.

But before we get there (literally and figuratively) here’s how you can set the stage for a mental health intervention.

If someone you care about cannot or will not seek help for a mental problem that is causing them distress, disrupting their lives, maybe even compromising the wellbeing of those around them, it may be time for an intervention.

You want a non-threatening group to come to the table. That’s easy to say, but I’m not sure it’s always 100 per cent achievable.

Remember, this is already someone who is not inclined to find help on their own. Maybe they think everyone is threatening. Or at least, they may think no one has any business being up in their business. This is why it may be good to include someone who is trained to be part of an intervention.

A group convenes and you present to the person-in-crisis the reasons for your concern. You should be prepared and not do this off-the-cuff. Notes are useful. Some experts suggest writing letters beforehand. Explain how you think their behaviour is negatively affecting them. You may need to explain how it’s affecting you.

In some instances, consequences may be described. If the person you are trying to help is not willing accept it, you may have to take some very, very hard decisions regarding what you are no longer willing to live with. Maybe they can’t continue to live with you because their rage issues are a source of fear to the rest of the family. Maybe they lose access to their children because their mood is unpredictable.

But the thing about consequences is there must be follow-through. Don’t make anything even vaguely resembling a threat if you can’t make it happen.

None of this is easy. What you want is for someone you love to get help. And sometimes you may have to love them enough to do something incredibly difficult in order to do that.

The movies may show you the good parts, where the multi-step programmes are in full swing and everyone is doing better. But remember that a really hard part happened before. Do your research. Make sure you can access the help you need, when you need it, and in a way everyone can handle.

Remember to talk to your doctor or therapist if you want to know more about what you read here. In many cases, there’s no single solution or diagnosis to a mental health concern. Many people suffer from more than one condition.