My son is now 47 and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at age 17. He’s been in treatment for most of this time. He’s had some rough times with the first worse event ; when after complications from a psychotic break 18 years ago he had to have his left leg amputated. So he uses a wheelchair.
In 2023, without my knowledge, he started lowering his meds and using weed and mushrooms. That year, he was hospitalized 4 times and released before he was stable. I begged his doctor for more hospitalizations, but he just brushed off as just psychosis, even though his past psychotic episode was devastating.
At the end of 2023, he was arrested for physically attacking his neighbors. He was in jail for a year, mostly in isolation and untreated. Upon release, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital and has been there for 6 months court-ordered, because somehow he lost his vision while in jail. He is now blind in addition to requiring a wheelchair.
I’m sure if he wasn’t blind they would have released him early on.
He’s lost his apartment, and the hospital has not found suitable housing for him because of his physical and mental needs. At this time, he’s still not stabilized. The next step will be asking the court to send him to the state hospital. It’s the saddest thing ever to watch a loved one lose touch with reality and not be able to do much to help.
Each story is shared by someone impacted by untreated SMI,
lightly edited for clarity, never for meaning.
Do you have an ask? If you were sitting down with your legislator, how would you ask them to help you?
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Families, if they want, need to be kept informed and be part of the treatment plans.
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We need more available hospital beds for the mentally ill.
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We need secure, safe housing for those who can’t take care of themselves.
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Schizophrenia should be considered a brain disease like dementia and Alzheimer’s, not a mental illness.
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Families need community support. They are not equipped to take care of their loved ones' needs.
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Jail should not be the place that untreated persons get sent to. It’s inhumane.
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A person who is untreated and actively psychotic and delusional should not be expected to be able to make rational decisions for themselves. This is why families must be involved and informed about loved ones' treatment plans.
