Someone very close to me started showing symptoms of mania recently. I’ve seen many cases like theirs and I know they need professional help in addition to family support. The family support part is no issue - their family is super supportive. This person is not violent but they are starting to sound excitable, have an intensely elevated mood and they are rambling on quite incoherently. This followed a period of prolonged stress and inability to sleep properly.

But our family is really nervous about getting this person involved with the healthcare system. We don’t want this person to be trapped in a cycle of medications that have their own negative side effects. We’ve seen similar cases where the person is sedated and once they are rested they are back to normal. I’m worried that this person will never get back to their former self. I don’t even recognize them anymore. 

But how can I keep my loved one safe once the doctors and psychiatrists get involved?