Apologies if the following appears to be a somewhat tenuous link to the thread relating to the Mental Health Act. Hopefully, readers will appreciate where I am coming from.
I am concerned about the readiness of my local Memory Clinic doctors to administer antipsychotic medication to my wife, when the combined wisdom of NHS, NICE, Alzheimer's Society, in the UK and their equivalents in the USA comes out strongly against administering antipsychotics to Alzheimer's Disease patients, all stating that they should only be used where there is a risk of violent behaviour or a risk of harm to the patient or others.
Last year, my wife, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, 3 years ago, started to have hallucinations and the local Memory Clinic consultant prescribed Aripiprazole, to reduce these symptoms. My family and I accepted this treatment, because the consultant advised us that it was necessary. However, after a few weeks, my wife's demeanour and energy levels started to deteriorate and, after 5 months, she was effectively a zombie, sleeping for most of the day and having no energy, or inclination to do anything. She became seriously incontinent, with incontinence pads being completely saturated several times throughout day and night, clearly being so massively sedated that she was unaware of her physical needs. We took her to several lively entertainment events and parties, but she was unable to hold a conversation and keeled over and slept during such events. Her personality had been taken away from her (she was previously lively and full of fun).
Concerned at this and unable to get a prompt appointment with the local Memory Clinic consultant, we went to a private specialist consultant, who had seen my wife after her initial diagnosis. He wrote to our GP, recommending that my wife was weaned off the Aripiprazole, whilst being monitored for any recurrence of hallucinations. This was done and, thankfully, there was no recurrence of the hallucinations, in the ensuing 6 months, the private consultant subsequently stating that they may well have been a temporary phase in my wife's illness.
In the past few months, my wife has been suffering bouts of weepiness, usually related to not knowing where her parents are (both have deceased, but my wife is no longer aware of this). We realised that she had been on the same antidepressant for 3 years and we thought it may have been time for a review of this medication. Our GP referred us back to the local Memory Clinic, where my wife was immediately prescribed the antipsychotic drug, Risperidone. After only two doses, it was evident that the drug was totally unsuitable for my wife, leaving her bereft of memory, confused and highly agitated. We immediately stopped giving her the medication and, when we went back to the local Memory Clinic, we were advised that my wife had been diagnosed with psychosis, on the basis of a "score chart". We were extremely concerned when we were told that a major factor in this diagnosis was my wife's apparent "refusal" to come into the previous meeting at the Clinic. This was completely untrue. I had asked the doctor if my daughter and I could speak to him alone, whilst my wife waited outside with a nurse, because we don't like talking about her condition and symptoms in front of her, because it clearly distresses her. (Why do mental health practitioners do this???). The consultant gave us a blank copy of the score chart, which I copied and later at home, my daughter and I independently worked through copies of the score chart. Even taking several "worst interpretation" scenarios, both of us obtained a score less than half of that claimed by the consultants in the Memory Clinic (I should stress that the questions on the chart were not technical, or difficult to interpret, but purely relating to my wife's everyday actions, exactly as we had expressed to the consultant's assistant in the first meeting).
The consultant has recently written to our GP, in a manner which suggests that the family has been somewhat uncooperative. We obtained a copy of this letter from his secretary and, consequently, we have asked the Trust to change my wife's consultant, ideally to a completely different Clinic. We have subsequently heard from several other families who have made similar decisions, because of their concerns over treatment received by a relative, in this Clinic.
This is where my concerns relate to the Mental Health Act (apologies for the tortuous route to get here!). Although my daughters and myself have Lasting Power of Attorney, registered with our GP, if we stayed with the same Memory Clinic Team, it appears that our wishes and concerns could be overridden by the Memory Team. If my wife ever has to go into hospital, or into care, she could be put back on some form of antipsychotic drug, under instruction from the Memory Team Consultant(s), despite the strong recommendations from NHS, NICE, Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Association (USA) and other august bodies and any objections from her family.
Have any other carers experienced this apparent determination to use antipsychotic drugs? Any advice on this would be most welcome.