My cousin is afflicted with extreme depression and what appears to be other undiagnosed mental health disorders. She recently broke up with her husband following many years of unhappiness and signs of a mental disorder. There is a family history of mental disorders with her sister and mom. A week ago her blood pressure registered at 221/103 after family members took her in for a psychiatric assessment. Before the assessment could fully commence, we were strongly encouraged to take her to the hospital emergency room. At the ER, the pressure was decreased after administering strong emergency medication to 159/90. Then the ER doctor advised that we take her to a general practioner. An appointment was made with a GP for 5 days later. Her BP spiked once again and registered at 190/100. She was immediately given prescriptions for a blood pressure medication and a water pill, as she also had very prominent swelling in her legs and feet ( she weighs approx 160 lbs and is 59 yrs old) After taking the prescribed BP pills for only a couple of days, my cousin said that she feared the pills would do more harm than good and that she would prefer to treat her pressure naturally . I will also mention that we took her back to the mental health assessment office two days after the ER hospital visit. A psychiatrist there prescribed 2.5 grams of ABILIFY during that visit for severe depression. She was supposed to go back to that psychiatrist after a week (which is today), but she would not let anyone take her and she currently lives alone. In addition, she absolutely refuse to take the ABILIFY. At this time, we are more concerned with her BP. My question is this: Is it even possible to treat urgent hypertension effectively with anything other than prescription medication? I d like to add that she had two different brothers who suffered strokes at 50 yrs of age. Any opinion you have on this subject would be extremely appreciated. Thank you. KR