How to Help a Loved One With Mental Illness
If you are a parent, partner or sibling, you can call before your loved one is ready, learn the options, and find out what they will need to agree to.
Guides for parents, partners and families
ParentsHelping an adult child
When your son or daughter is over 18, and privacy rules change what you can know.
Read the guide
PartnersHelping a spouse or partner
When the person you share a life with is struggling, and work and home are on the line.
Read the guide
Not ready yetWhen they refuse help
What you can do when your loved one will not call or will not go.
Read the guide
During treatmentFamily involvement
Family sessions, visits and staying in touch, with their consent.
Read the guide
Four steps for families, starting with your own call
Families can call first- 1
Call admissions yourself
You do not need your loved one on the line to ask questions and understand the options.
- 2
Share what you have seen
Admissions asks about what is happening, safety, past treatment and insurance.
- 3
Talk with your loved one
With a clearer picture, you can raise treatment calmly and offer a concrete next step.
- 4
They complete the assessment
An adult takes part in the assessment and agrees to treatment themselves.
What admissions will ask about your loved one
You do not need every answer. Share what you know, and admissions fills in the rest with your loved one.
What is happening now
What you have noticed, and how long it has been going on.
Safety
Any talk of suicide, self-harm, or a recent hospital stay or 5150 hold.
Past treatment
Therapy, programs, hospital stays, and what has helped.
Medications
What they take, and who prescribes it.
Alcohol and drugs
Whether drinking or drug use is part of the picture.
Insurance
Whose plan they are on. Many young adults are on a parent’s plan.
What your loved one decides, as an adult
Privacy law protects adults in treatment, including from their own family. A signed release changes what Wings can share with you.
You
The family
Their signed release
Opens the line between you
Their care team
Wings
Without their consent, Wings can
- Listen to you and answer general questions
- Explain programs, levels of care and insurance
- Check benefits on a plan you hold
- Call your loved one if they agree to talk
With their consent, Wings can also
- Share updates about their treatment with you
- Include you in family sessions
- Plan the step down and discharge with you
- Talk with you about how to support them at home
If your loved one is in danger right now, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
Wings works with many PPO insurance plans
Admissions verifies your benefits before admission, free and confidential. For Medi-Cal or Medicare, admissions can point you to programs that accept them.
Questions from families
Calling for someone else, consent, updates, insurance and refusal.
Don't see your question?
Admissions answers calls 9 a.m.–5 p.m., seven days a week. Calls are confidential.
Call(760) 388-6369Visits, phones, what to bring and more in the admissions FAQ →All the ways to reach Wings →Can I call admissions for someone else?
Yes. Family members can call first. Admissions answers calls 9 a.m.–5 p.m., seven days a week, and you do not need your loved one on the line to ask questions.
Can my adult child or partner be admitted without their agreement?
Wings is voluntary treatment for adults, so the person agrees to treatment and signs their own consent. If they are in danger, call 911.
Will Wings tell me how my loved one is doing?
Only with their written consent. Many clients agree to share some information with family, and their therapist can explain what that covers.
Can they use my insurance?
If they are on your plan, often yes. Young adults can stay on a parent’s plan until age 26. Admissions checks the benefits.
What if they refuse to go?
You still have options, from changing how you talk about it to getting support for yourself. See When They Refuse Help, and call 911 if they are in danger.
Can family be involved during treatment?
Yes, with consent. Family sessions, visits and discharge planning can include you.