Mom of a Monster

JJJ,

I agree, this mother articulated this situation very well. Our culture needs to retool our thinking on our usual refusal to require severely mentally ill individuals to receive treatment. It's so ironic that folks are walking around without treatment when excellent treatment can be available. It was brought home to us with great strength a couple of years ago when the son of our next door neighbor brutally murdered both him and his father. Our neighbor and his wife (both public school principals) had adopted a sibling group of three. The eldest evidenced mental health issues early on. They were able to provide care for him, but when he turned 18, he refused treatment. They had no recourse but to tell him he could not stay in their home without treatment. A few days after Christmas he made a surprise visit, overpowered his Dad and his Grandad and murdered them both. Most folks in our community feel that this horrible tragedy was completely preventable.

My husband was so touched, he volunteered to become a member of our local community mental health board. I'm working hard to get guardianship proceeding moving on several of the individuals that I work with. It is an incredibly difficult process to pull together. Without this strong concerted effort , the inability to treat those who don't desire treatment remains, but concerned individuals are working to try to make some changes. I encourage everyone to let their voices be heard surrounding this matter.

Valerie
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I totally get the part about families and extended family members being in denial, and everyone picking on the mother.

Great essay.
 
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