Daughter has called police twice recently to report imagined problems. Not malicious but OCD?

[No Vested Interest]

She lives in long-term care facility and has had her personal phone taken away & replaced with house phone.
She is 60, takes several meds for various problems, including anxiety and poor sleep. (undiagnosed/untreated apnea.)

What is the treatment for this problem, which is likely not uncommon, i.e., known to police depts. and to care facilities?

(She sees an empty baby stroller and interprets that as a kidnapping, for instance, or sees something she perceives to be an auto accident & reports it, but no real prblem exists.)

[Tetrachloride]

1. myself: duty

We are asked to be aware by society.

I give myself permission to not immediately go to red alert.

[No Vested Interest]

2. Not sure if that will work with her. She says "I'll never do that again",

but incidents occur.
She had a stroke, with asphasia & arm paralysis resulting, ca six years ago, and I have to wonder if some brain changes occurred or are occurring.

[dflprincess]

3. Any chance her meds should be reviewed

And maybe adjusted?

[No Vested Interest]

4. Likely. I've just sent a note to her psych doctor & team.

I'm thinking Police Depts. must have a protocol for this problem.
Surely it happens with others.
Perhaps a family member should go in to Police Dept. & see what they recommend (and to apologize.) Perhaps she should go in as well.

[FrankTC]

5. Finding A Balance That Promotes Optimal Autonomy and Quality of Life

Your daughter may already be receiving good care that allows her a degree of independence while also protecting her from problems that could arise from her impaired ability to make sense of her environment. It’s possible that medications that would limit her apparent reality distortions would degrade her quality of life in other areas. It’s also possible that you have limited access to the rationale for the clinical care she has been receiving? If she were my family member I’d want to be able to review the medical record and speak with the clinicians involved, just to understand the treatment plan, goals, and strategies. Apparently the facility is to some degree aware of your daughter’s solipsistic inclinations (otherwise why would her phone privileges be restricted), but it seems reasonable that you could be given information about why more isn’t being done to correct them. It’s possible that the reality distortion process, possibly a result of the stroke, cannot be moderated at all, or it’s possible that it cannot be moderated without degradation of your daughter’s quality of life. I think knowing more about the treatment plan would help. This moves into legalities like confidentiality and guardianships. Sometimes in mental health cases parents are really frustrated because they see their children’s problems but are not allowed to intervene or know what is being done to help them. There are parent advocacy organizations that may offer support.

[No Vested Interest]

6. Thanks for your perspective.

You raise some angles that need further pursuing. Quality of life is important, but obviously, this behavior cannot continue.

Her care at the facility is more of a caretaker, providing prescribed meds and meals & bed, etc.; we (family) have arranged for outside medical care at our nearby fine university medical center, but, as all are aware, mental health care is hard to come by. She has Medicare medical, but medicaid for facility care, plus extras that the family provides.

Facility care is okay - some days better than others, some caregivers good, others not so much.
I am POA, but aging; siblings (2) nearby are willing to help up to a point, then disgusted or irked. They will have to take over eventually.

[LT Barclay]

7. My experience and hypothesis:

My mother had something similar happen after menopause. She would take a situation that was based on reality and it became and obsession. One example is that my sister's first husband was selling pot. My mother assumed that she was being followed everywhere and was concerned she'd be arrested as part of the drug ring.
It was called schizophrenia, but I didn't believe it based on how it came about and they weren't baseless hallucinations, so I don't believe her treatment was helpful. I think your leaning toward OCD is more in line with the symptoms.
So what I have learned since then is that our body has (for simplicity's sake) 2 types of neurotransmitters. One says "Go, Go, Go" and the others (seratonin and dopamine), say "hey, let's slow down and take our time". When all is correct, things stay in balance. Parkinson's is a imbalance where actually it is the go, go, go, that causes the rigidity and limitations in movement because the calming neurotransmitters are not produced in the correct amount. So my hypothesis is that there is not enough of the calming neurotransmitters that hold random thoughts in check. So every problem seems like an elephant not a mouse.
I don't know if that information is any help because I have never heard of anyone treating mental illness with that approach. But it appears your daughter is suffering the same way my mother was and I wish her the best. Sadly, my mother reached a balance after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer. I don't think it was the disease or treatment, but the realization caused her to find a deeper meaning in her religion.
OK, here's a funny story in all of this. One of the last times she was in the hospital was when she was attending a home bible study. Something glitched that night and she refused to go home (scared of somebody following/arresting her). So the host had no choice but to call the police. Well when they went out to talk to the police, my mother locked everyone out of the house. I don't know how they finally convinced her to open the door, but she was taken to the hospital from there.

[No Vested Interest]

8. Thanks for your thoughts and input, LT. So much to ponder.

I'll think on this and get back to you.