How can we get an unwilling person to go to the hospital for psychiatric treatment?

Question by Brandon In Montreal: How can we get an unwilling person to go to the hospital for psychiatric treatment?
My older sister was admitted twice in the hospital in the last year for depression and paranoia. Both times she was brought into the emergency room and was evaluated by a psychiatrist. They kept her in the hospital for a few days before letting her go without any medication (that’s the Quebec medical system for ya). I’m worried because recently she moved out of her appartment to live with me and my mom. She seemed normal the first week but it didn’t take long before she started acting strange again, showing signs of her “illness” coming back. We know for a fact that she doesn’t do any drugs but however she does have a history of alcohol abuse, which stopped about 7 months ago. I did some research and she fits the description of a paranoid schitzophrenic but was told by a family friend that she might also be suffering from manic depression too. It’s really hard to tell. She’s babbling about things that really really don’t make sense and when we tell her that she to go to the hospital for treatment, she starts panicking and it just makes things worse.
My question is, how can we get an unwilling person to go to the hospital? And what should we tell the doctors so that they keep her in for a long-term treatment?

Best answer:

Answer by gaston8291
I am not sure about Canadian law, but in the United States a person and be admitted and held in a mental health facility involuntarily if they are a danger to themselves or others….your BEST bet would be to have a long and non-jugdmental discussion between you, your sister, your mother and her doctor to discuss the benefits of long-term care for her and the right facility for her….

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