When someone’s saying things that don’t make sense

Someone close to you might be saying things that don’t make sense to you, seeing or hearing things you can’t, or being sure of something you think isn’t true. You may be worried, or frightened, and not sure whether to say anything. This page covers when safety comes first, how to talk with them, getting help early, what to do if they say no, and help for you.

When safety comes first

If someone might get hurt. If someone is in danger, or may hurt themselves or someone else, call 000 and ask for an ambulance (healthdirect, on crisis support). If it’s safe, stay with them. When you’re worried someone isn’t safe covers what to say and what to do.
If it’s urgent but nobody’s in immediate danger. Your state or territory’s mental health line is open at any hour. Call it when things feel urgent but nobody is in immediate danger. You can call it about someone else.
If it came on suddenly, or it’s an older person. Get medical help straight away if someone becomes suddenly confused or very agitated, or if what they’re seeing or hearing is getting worse quickly. Some medications can cause these experiences, especially in older people (healthdirect, on when to get help). Don’t wait for a regular appointment.
If you’re frightened. Get help from someone else straight away, and never put yourself at risk. In a frightening moment, stay calm, keep some distance, and keep a clear way out for yourself. Listen more than you talk. Your safety comes first, and you don’t have to handle this on your own.

The person you’re worried about might frighten you in other ways too. If they control your money, check where you go and who you see, or hurt you, your safety comes first there too. 1800RESPECT is on 1800 737 732, around the clock, for domestic, family and sexual violence. In an emergency, call 000.

Talking with them

Guidelines agreed by people with lived experience, carers and mental health professionals suggest talking with them somewhere private and calm, when you both have time (Mental Health First Aid Australia, 2019). Talk about the changes you’ve noticed in how they’ve been thinking, feeling or acting:

“I’ve noticed you’ve hardly been sleeping, and you’ve seemed really on edge. I’m worried about you.”

Don’t put a name to what’s happening, and don’t guess at a diagnosis. Keep what you say clear and simple, and be ready to repeat things.

You can accept that what they’re experiencing is real to them without agreeing with it:

“I’m not hearing it myself, but I can see how upsetting it is for you.”

Don’t argue with what they believe or what they’re seeing or hearing, and don’t pretend to share their experience. If they don’t want to talk, don’t push, and don’t insist they’re unwell.

You can’t argue someone out of what they’re experiencing, and you don’t need to. What helps most is staying alongside them and helping them get to someone who can work out what’s going on. How to start the conversation covers what to say, and what tends to work well.

Getting help early

People do best when these experiences are found and treated early (healthdirect, on causes and treatment). A GP (general practitioner) For most people, where getting help starts. A GP can write a Mental Health Treatment Plan, prescribe medication and refer you on, and some are trained to deliver a small number of structured therapy sessions themselves. More in the jargon decoder is a good first step, partly because a check-up can rule out physical causes. Let them know you’ll support them while they get help.

You can offer to find someone for them to see and help them make the appointment. You can also offer to take them to the appointment and wait, or go in with them if they’d like (healthdirect, on helping someone).

You can tell their GP or health professional what you’ve noticed. Listening to you doesn’t break their Confidentiality What you tell a therapist is kept private, within limits. Broadly, the limits are a serious risk to your life or someone else's, and a court order for your records. There may also be a legal duty to report concerns about a child's safety. More in the jargon decoder . As a general rule, the GP needs their permission before telling you anything about them (Ryan and colleagues, 2014).

headspace A national youth mental health service for anyone aged 12 to 25, with centres around Australia and support online and by phone. It's free or close to it, you don't need a referral or a parent, and you can book it yourself. More in the jargon decoder offers free or low-cost support for people aged 12 to 25, and you don’t need a Referral A letter from a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician that you need for the Medicare rebate. You can see a psychologist without one if you pay the full fee. More in the jargon decoder . Family members and other adults supporting someone that age can use it too. headspace Early Psychosis is a free service for young people who are having these experiences for the first time, or who may be at risk of them. It runs at 16 headspace centres across Australia, and families get information and support too. headspace and services for 12 to 25s covers how to get an appointment and what it costs.

For advice about services near you, there’s Medicare Mental Health A free mental health service funded by the Australian Government. You can phone for advice and help finding support, or walk into one of its centres without an appointment or a referral. More in the jargon decoder . Free, with no appointment and no referral needed. Phone 1800 595 212 from 8.30am to 5pm on weekdays, or walk into a centre.

Seeing, hearing or believing things others don’t is written for the person themselves, and covers what helps and where to start.

If they don’t want help

An adult has the right to refuse treatment, except in some situations covered by mental health law. Never threaten them with hospital or with being made to have treatment.

Let them know you’re there, and that you’ll help when they’re ready. You can still tell their GP what you’ve noticed, and look after yourself. If you’re worried about their safety or someone else’s and they won’t get help, you can ring your state or territory’s mental health line about them.

What you can do when someone won’t get help covers more on this.

If they’re under 18

If you’re responsible for them, make sure they get an appointment, and offer to go with them. You can contact eheadspace on 1800 650 890 between 3pm and 10pm daily by phone, web chat or email. It’s for 12 to 25s and for the adults supporting them. If you’re an adult worried about a young person, Lifeline or Beyond Blue will also talk it through with you.

When they’re getting treatment

Help often includes support for the family. Their doctor or treating team may also ask to speak with someone close to them.

A review of 72 trials looked at family sessions (Bighelli and colleagues, 2021). People whose families took part were less likely to become unwell again within a year than people who had usual care. The researchers’ confidence in their findings ranged from moderate to very low.

Guidelines differ on how strongly they recommend family sessions. Guidelines written for Australia and New Zealand in 2026 say they may be offered, with the person’s agreement (Suetani and colleagues, 2026). Guidelines in the UK go further, recommending them for every family that lives with the person or is closely involved (UK guidelines, 2014).

If they agree, it’s reasonable to ask their treating team what’s available for families. Their treating team will usually need their permission to tell you anything about them.

Help for you

Supporting someone through this is hard, and you can get help for yourself whether or not they get help.

Looking after yourself. Look after your own mental health. You can get support for yourself while keeping what you know about them private.
Support for carers. A review of 21 trials, with about 1,600 family members and other carers of people with serious mental health problems, looked at support for carers (Yesufu-Udechuku and colleagues, 2015). Learning about what’s happening and joining a support group both helped. Carers found caring easier, and felt less distressed. The researchers had little confidence in the evidence, and couldn’t say which kind of support works best.
Carer Gateway. Carer Gateway, an Australian Government program, offers free support for carers, including counselling. It’s on 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. It’s worth asking whether you’re eligible.
Ringing about someone else. You can ring support services about another person, and you don’t need their permission to ask for advice about how to help. Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636.

If you’re under 18 and this is a friend or someone in your family, tell an adult you trust, and Kids Helpline is there for you any time.

If things are difficult right now, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service is on 1300 659 467, and Kids Helpline is on 1800 55 1800 for anyone aged 5 to 25. In an emergency, call 000. Crisis and emergency support has the full list.

Where next

If you or they see someone, how you get on with that person matters a great deal, whatever Approach (modality) The kind of therapy someone uses, such as CBT or psychodynamic therapy. You'll also see it called a modality. More in the jargon decoder they use. Why who you see matters more than what they do explains why.