I'm hoping some of you with more experience with mental health care may have some advice... I got a call from a relative early this morning whose husband seems to be having some sort of anxious breakdown - convinced he's going to be fired from work to the extent that he walked out of the office - she took him back to his boss who said everything was perfectly fine and his performance has been great. Convinced she's going to want a divorce, ranting and crying while making very little sense. He also has some problems with addictive behavior (i.e. gambling) but has never been medicated for mental health issues before. I suggested considering impatient care since he seems to be having some sort of breakdown, but they live in a rural area that's not very attractive to medical professionals and she said the quality of the place they can access locally is very, very bad (which I would guess is not a wholly unreasonable concern) and she's really scared of it. Backstory is that she has a lot of anxiety about mental health care and has never sought it because back in the 80s, a doctor botched her BIL's schizophrenia treatment, causing permanent severe brain damage. So she's absolutely terrified about medications for mental health issues and of mental health professionals. So I told her to do whatever she can today to get ahold of the GP that she trusts to get a recommendation and/or have him prescribe medicine directly.

What are resources that I can direct them to? Anyone know of resources about how to medicate anxiety and the safety of medication? Or a way to find good quality impatient programs, in case it is required? I think he will ultimately need CBT but right now getting medication seems first order.

Thank you!