What to do with mentally unstable senior parent?

Question

Myself and my siblings think my senior mother is mentally unstable or mentally ill. She is also doing very poorly physically.

My mom is overdosing on pills. She also called the cops and told them my father was going to kill her, which was complete paranoia. My mom was also severely angry because her one year old grandchild didn't pay enough attention to her. She is also leaving very odd phone messages to several people. This has been going on for a few years and getting worse.

Should my mother be put under constant supervision somewhere? What are the normal steps to take in this kind of situation. I'm not that familiar with mental health issues.

Answer 1

She needs a neuropsychiatric examination before you do anything.  She may well have Alzheimer's or Pick's Disease.  Both are dementia disorders with psychiatric symptoms.  The doctor can also give you advise on how to proceed or prescriptions to alleviate the psychosis.

Answer 2

You may need to call Adult Protective Services, if you live in the U.S. They could probably refer you to some place that would help. Or your county Community Mental Health Center or even NAMI.