- Category: Crisis Response, Denied Treatment in Custody, Discharged Without a Safe Plan — Hospital, Involuntary Commitment Barriers, Jail Instead of Hospital, No Bed, No Placement, Voluntary Care Unavailable
- Tag(s): Anosognosia / Lack of Insight, Co-Occurring Substance Use, Homelessness, Incarceration, Law Exists Not Enforced, Severe Deterioration, Solitary Confinement, Violence or Threat Toward Family or Caregiver
- Location(s): AL
I am writing this letter as a mother who has lived through the unimaginable pain and fear that comes with loving someone afflicted by major mental illness. My son’s journey is a testament to the urgent need for change in Alabama’s laws and approach to mental health care— change that could save lives and families from needless suffering.
In June of 2025, our lives were upended when my son, in the throes of a months-long battle with psychosis, attempted to break into our home with the intent to harm us. He was not himself; his mind was overtaken by an illness that he had been battling for years. That night, despite our desperate pleas to responding officers to take him to a hospital, he was instead thrown in jail and charged with felony domestic violence. He did not need incarceration — he needed immediate medical intervention.
What followed was 112 days of solitary confinement, during which my son lost 40 pounds, refused food he believed to be poisoned, and rejected medication he thought was tampered with. He was terrified, alone, and untreated. Only after the charges were dropped was he finally transferred to a hospital. But rather than receive continued care, the plan was to discharge him to a homeless shelter, effectively abandoning him to his illness without support.
Desperate to save our son, we have to date spent over $100,000 to secure treatment for him in a long-term care facility out of state, because Alabama simply does not have facilities equipped to treat major mental illness. This is not the first time our system has failed him. Over the past five years, he has repeatedly been denied care, released prematurely, and left to fend for himself. Even a 150 day outpatient commitment was on the books, but lacked any oversite for drug use or medication adherence. The last time, even with paperwork ready for involuntary commitment, the doctor refused to hold him because he was not deemed a threat “in that moment.” This decision led to a month-long, psychotic road trip across America, culminating with the attempt to harm us.
My son’s story is not unique. It is emblematic of a system that waits for a crisis before acting, that criminalizes mental illness rather than treating it as the medical emergency it is, and that leaves families unsupported and ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of major mental illness.
- Criminalization Over Care: Individuals in acute psychosis are often jailed rather than hospitalized, compounding their trauma and delaying desperately needed treatment.
- No Long-Term Treatment Options: Alabama lacks facilities that provide comprehensive, long-term care for serious mental illnesses, forcing families to seek costly solutions out of state or accept inadequate care.
- Reactive, Not Preventative: The law requires imminent danger before intervention, ignoring the reality that untreated psychosis is always a ticking time bomb.
- Inadequate Family Support and Education: Families are left to navigate a complicated and fragmented system without guidance, resources, or meaningful input into their loved one’s care.
- My family’s ordeal could have been prevented if Alabama recognized psychosis as a medical emergency that automatically qualifies as a threat to self or others, allowing for timely intervention before a crisis occurs.
We have spent our savings, endured heartbreak, and lived in fear — all because the system in Alabama is not designed to help those with major mental illness until it is too late. My son’s suffering, and the trauma our family has endured, could have been avoided with laws and resources that prioritize treatment over punishment, prevention over reaction, and compassion over indifference.
I urge lawmakers, mental health professionals, and community leaders to listen to families like mine and take action. Alabama’s mental health laws must be reformed to ensure that no more families are left to fight this battle alone, and that individuals suffering from major mental illness receive the care and dignity they deserve.
*Each story is shared by someone impacted by untreated SMI, lightly edited for clarity, never for meaning.
THE ASK
The author’s message for legislators:
We need laws that:
Recognize Psychosis as a Medical Emergency: Legislation should allow for immediate intervention and hospitalization for those experiencing psychosis, regardless of “imminent threat.”
Establish and Fund Long-Term Treatment Facilities: Alabama must invest in or provide tax incentives for facilities equipped for extended care of major mental illnesses, providing continuity and stability for recovery.
Expand Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Programs: These programs are proven to help individuals remain in treatment and avoid crisis; statewide expansion is urgently needed.
Promote Preventative Approaches: Laws should facilitate early intervention, ongoing care, and support for families before situations escalate.
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2 Responses
I am so sorry to hear this.
I live in the UK and went through something similar, although not as bad because there are services in place( even though they are very poor and refused me to a hospital despite taking myself to A and E 3 times, only to be sent back without giving me the medication I desperately needed. Unlike this story, my family would not help me so I had to deal with a desperate situation alone. This was the 4th psychotic breakdown, they got worse every time. The services bullied me and said very negative things to me and sent me away when I was suffering. After months of constant torture, and desperately trying to get help, I ended up having an outburst where I was charged with offences- then spent 3 years on a locked ward where there was no empathy and things were extremely difficult. It took me 10 years to get my life back – spending thousands on my own private therapy.
I believe that there needs to be better treatment for people who have debilitating psychosis in the UK as well – even though we have the NHS, the conditions on those wards are shocking ( if you can get onto one…). I was sent away at the peak of crisis that was ongoing – it was a dangerous situation – they knew how much I was suffering and didn’t have a grip on reality and that I was dealing with it alone..
They belittled me in the hospital when I finally got in there, they made my life a misery for years and I believe this should not happen. They would not treat a cancer patient like this- they ought to take mental health just as seriously because it can be life or death for the person who is suffering.
I am truly sorry to hear about this story- it really breaks my heart to think of the torture that he went through. I’m just glad that he had a the support of a loving family because going through psychosis alone is truly terrifying and very difficult to deal with.
Thanks for sharing this. What you describe, being in the middle of psychosis and repeatedly sent away during a crisis, is something we hear far too often from people and families. The details vary, but the pattern is painfully similar, people are suffering intensely, asking for help, and the system waits until things collapse before meaningful care appears.
Your point about how differently physical illness is treated is one many contributors raise as well. No one would tell a person with a life-threatening medical condition to come back later when it becomes more dangerous. Psychosis deserves the same seriousness and urgency.
We’re very sorry for what you endured, and for the years it took to rebuild your life afterward. Stories like yours matter because they help show that this is not an isolated failure, it is a systemic one that crosses borders.
Thank you for taking the time to speak up here.