My Nephew Is Being Left Behind by a Broken Mental Health System

Here is our story... A Plea for Help.

Dear [Friends/Community/Organization],

I’m reaching out not just as a concerned [aunt/uncle/family member], but as someone watching a young life deteriorate—trapped in a cycle of mental illness, incarceration, and systemic neglect.

My nephew is living with schizophrenia, and for the past seven years, he has struggled every single day just to exist.

He is legally an adult, and that fact alone has become one of the biggest barriers to getting him the help he needs. Every day, more and more people just like him are ending up on the streets, untreated and forgotten, because society considers them adults—despite the fact that they are not capable of caring for themselves or making informed decisions due to their illness.

He has been found incompetent in court multiple times.

Yet most recently, during his time in Pueblo County Jail, he was suddenly deemed “competent”—a decision that flies in the face of reality. We have video evidence showing that this is simply not true.

His behavior, communication, and mental state are clear signs of ongoing psychosis, yet the system insists otherwise.

Years ago, when he was first incarcerated, we were told not to bail him out so there would be a documented history of his psychiatric episodes. He ended up spending two years in Pueblo County Jail with no treatment or support, just sitting on a waitlist for the state psychiatric hospital—which is in the same city.

At his final court appearance before release, a representative from the hospital joined via video and was asked why he had not been moved up on the list. Their response?

"He was not acting as crazy as others, so he was lowered on the list."

That comment alone reflects a horrifying truth: decisions about mental health treatment in our state are being made based on how “crazy” someone appears, rather than on real clinical need, dignity, or long-term stability.

I understand that psychiatric beds are full and facilities are overwhelmed. The number of mental health cases is rising, and the resources aren’t keeping pace. But that cannot be an excuse to deny people like my nephew the care they need to survive.

Scarcity should never be a justification for silence, delay, or dismissal—especially when human lives are at stake.

This is also why so many people in his situation turn to illegal substances—not to get high, but to quiet the terrifying delusions that play in their minds day after day. They seek a moment of peace in the only way they know how, but that fleeting relief always backfires—deepening the confusion, worsening the illness, and creating even more pain, for themselves and those who love them.

This is not a rare case. This is an everyday occurrence in our city. It is heartbreaking to drive down the street, take a walk, or simply look around and witness how many people are visibly struggling—alone, unsupported, and untreated. Please, help!

And not to mention—there is the cruelty. The people who show no empathy or sympathy.

The ones who use social media to mock, shame, or dehumanize individuals experiencing mental illness. The ones who treat these struggles as entertainment, rather than as the cries for help they truly are.

This kind of mistreatment adds another level of harm. The more hatred and humiliation they endure, the more defeated they feel. It chips away at their hope, trust, and will to keep trying.

I know I am not the only family going through this. My story is only the first of many.

There are parents, siblings, and caregivers across this state—across this country—fighting the same battle, and feeling just as helpless. It takes a village to make a change for our children, and we need that village now more than ever.

My nephew is not just a case number or a “bed on hold.” He is a human being who has been failed over and over again—by a mental health system that moves too slowly, a jail system that is not equipped to care for people with severe illness, and a legal system that seems more concerned with process than protection.

This should not be the norm.

Something must change — and we are ready to speak up until it does.

If you have any advice, resources, or ways to help—please reach out. His life, and the lives of so many others, depend on it.

With urgency and hope, please sign the petition... https://chng.it/nRxzCNnDwm