My dad appears to be on his 5th day of what my sister and I (we are in our mid/late 20's) are now realizing might be a manic episode. He's firmly grounded in the belief that he is being haunted and this is a spiritual issue that can be resolved by confession/returning to the church. He is experiencing ghosts/demons after "messing around with" a walkie-talkie that supposedly lets you talk to the dead, and has spent the last days/nights in a motel (specifically the lobby) as he feels his home/being alone in a room is unsafe. We both are settled across the country (out of state and not within driving distance); he has no family or friends that we can really reach out to. 

He's a gentle giant and we're not worried about him causing harm or self-harming (we've been checking in regularly and monitoring his mood as best we can). He mostly just sounds frightened and confused and sad now, and it breaks my heart to see him like this. 

Long term my sister and I have discussed having him move closer to my family when he "gets older" and it's just becoming clear that this may be a good time to start putting that plan into action.

We're planning to fly in and spend time with him as soon as we can, mostly to make sure he's eating and sleeping and generally okay. Ideally I'd like to get him in to speak with a doctor so he can get a diagnosis and start a treatment plan if he needs one.

I am really curious about what / how your first interactions went with medical professionals and if you have any advice or suggestions to have a better experience. My dad isn't exactly the biggest fan of doctors but he seemed open to talking to a professional when my sister brought it up. Right now he's obviously very adamant that this can only be resolved spiritually, but I'm hoping he will be willing to start the process of at least talking to a therapist and/or a doctor.

When you went through the process of getting a diagnoses, was there anything you wish family members did more of to support you? (Or less of?) How can I best help my dad feel okay and grounded aside from encouraging him to get help in the next days/weeks?