Covid vaccine, healthcare for those who won't/can't engage, tension within family

Well, tensions are rising wthin our household as we struggle with all our usual stuff but now also a top dressing of Covid concerns too.  We're mostly vaccinated but one of our (adult) sons, who is very withdrawn and reclusive anyway, still isn't and still won't contemplate it.  In a way, that's his autonomous decision and we need to respect that.  However, we all have various, quite serious health problems, and it's likely to lead to increasing tension round here.  It's already tense enough!  

There's also the thought that this isn't actually just a decision specific to the Covid vaccination from our son.  It's part of opting out from all care and services altogether, with an absolute refusal to engage based on previous negative experiences with mental health services and professionals in general.  In effect, his blanket refusal to engage means he has no access to healthcare, nor can i think of anything that would make it accessible (for example, i've offered to get a nurse to come round to see him, if that might make things easier but I'm always met with a blanket refusal).  I did speak to our GP about it and only got an empathic, "Yes, that's really difficult, isn't it?" 

Any ideas on how to navigate our way through such a situation?  I think the blanket refusal is the result of extreme burnout and anxiety but, of course, an adult is entitled to make that decision if they're deemed to have capacity.  It does, however, leave us struggling with the ongoing situation.  And the whole Covid thing isn't helping.   

Parents
  • Mental and Medical health services really have no idea about the damage they do sometimes when our experiences with them are negative.  And I think that's a bit lame on the part of your GP.  You'd think they'd try and reach out directly to him somehow to address his past issues and build some trust with him.  I'd be tempted to call again.

Reply
  • Mental and Medical health services really have no idea about the damage they do sometimes when our experiences with them are negative.  And I think that's a bit lame on the part of your GP.  You'd think they'd try and reach out directly to him somehow to address his past issues and build some trust with him.  I'd be tempted to call again.

Children
  • Unfortunately, trust was destroyed bit by bit, week by week, by a whole troop of crisis team workers then CPNs, psychiatrists and psychotherapists over a period of years.  Now engagement is well nigh impossible and we have no support from services because they only deal with individuals, not families, he's an adult and he's decided he never wants to see any of them again.  I can't get him to see our GP, although she's aware and sympathises, but I can try again to see what they suggest.  

    I'm not sure our son is against vaccination per se, he just wants nothing to do with any services whatsoever, in effect leaving us high and dry.   

  • Wow, you are so lucky not to have Dyslexia and autism like me, I am only learning about full stops and comma’s,etc only entry level 3  reading and writing. Which is no where close to GCSE so academically I am low, at understanding.