When a Mentally Ill Child Becomes a Mentally Ill Adult

debbie_jane_goff

This could be my story the names and locations different but this is my story I'm living thru. Right now and the last 3 years. How many times he has gone missing months even a year. Always waiting for the phone to. Ring and tell

JaySea

1 Like

Very informative and well written, Ms. Woo...covered all bases and educated me about a serious impending problem in our society, thank you...I wish all the best for these families.

Gericault

1 Like

Moorlach is being disingenuous with comparing the size of Nevada County with the size of Orange County. Nevada county has a budget of 729 million. Orange County spends more than that just on social services now, out of a total budget of 5.6 Billion ( with a "B").Everyday, OC Supervisors wade through a sea of homeless people living at the Civic Center, can't he see that?

MommyDissident

@Gericault We have been at End Homeless Comission meetings where our local non profit groups have actually debated with the county because they know our Health Agency under estimate the actually homeless count by design. Our non profits in Santa Ana are the lifeblood for most homeless while our County chioses to ignore the "gravely disabled" portion of the LPS Law despite many at the civic center "thinking they are from the sky"...instead of saving lives with our 6 billion (MHSA/Prop 63) they tout their "successes" in self made pie charts at dog n pony shows ... their "outreach and engagement" for folks who could otherwise navigate the system of Recovery Model FSP bs. I am sickened by the greed that permeates our top administration and how they Publicity Reject Laura's Law.

Adam Goldman

An interesting article about mental health issues in O.C.

Jyates

Thanks Ms Woo for writing about this subject. Maybe more people will come to understand that mental illness is not a character flaw - it's a biological brain disorder! It's especially frustrating when our laws now prevent parents from getting needed help for their adult children. I certainly hope Laura's Law will be enacted in Orange County.

Shiv825

Great article Michelle. In elementary school we see some kids who don't get help because their parents are in denial. It's sad to see the other end, once the kids reach 18, and they are unable to get help because of the law.

ALBERTA

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Devon Rémy

Stop spamming. Have you no shame?

Tcpasquini

Thank you Michelle Woo and the OC Register for this illuminating and powerful article.

My Danny was hospitalized on his 18th Birthday and our world changed just like the families in this article. Overnight we were told that we could not help him unless he wanted our help. Even though his brain told him he was ok, he wasn't ok. He needed help from a system that no longer allowed his mom and dad to keep him safe. To keep him safe we had to abandon him, put him in harms way and then fight the world to provide him treatment. Why does it have to be this way?

I met Jennifer Hoff on Facebook during her search for her son. She is a force. We moms and dads are on a team that we never wanted to join. We will continue to tell our stories and burn them into the collective conscience of our California communities.

I live in Contra Costa County where we have had numerous parents murdered by their children with psychiatric disabilities. All were preventable tragedies. Alameda County is our neighbor and had a recent preventable murder in the Berkeley Hills. An innocent family of our community was destroyed because a young man was not kept safe by a sick system. His family tried valiantly to get him the help he needed.

Our California counties and communities are connected by the slender thread of hope that one day there will be sanity restored to the mental health system. Civil Commitment Law Reform must happen. We don't want "special laws," we just want laws that are already exist to be implemented.

Laderamommy

Michelle, thank you so much for your time spent shedding light on Matts story and an issue that continues to be sidestepped by our elected officials, despite a growing public consciousness burning low and slow.... as a community and culture we have not seemed to get a grip on how to prevent "preventable" tragedies. Without serious Civil Commitment Law Reform (Laura's Law, Kendra's Law and much much MORE) we will never see a decrease in violence to our sick loved ones nor a change in the horrific collateral damage associated with untreated severe chronic psychiatric illness. This issue is not being properly addressed in Orange County by our County Board of Supervisors or Director of Behavioral Health. They know it. I do not know what they are waiting for next to happen before taking any clear action or position. How many more families have to loose loved ones to these illnesses before our leaders realize that ignoring severe mental illness does not make it go away.Thank you again for caring enough to take action.Warmly,Jennifer Hoff

Tron Carter

Sprawling Ladera Ranch home and she can't provide for him???These kinds of people are dangerous and should be off the streets.

Jonmurra

How to you argue with"Stupid"?

Jyates

Get educated on mental illness before you judge something you have not experienced.

Dave Lieberman

You're demonstrating your complete lack of ability to grasp the concept of the article. She could be Melinda Gates and control a multi-billion-dollar foundation and she still would have exactly the same amount of power over her age-of-majority son as the poorest day laborer: zero.

But if you believe these kinds of people are dangerous and should be off the streets, stretch your hands and write a letter to your Orange County Supervisor to adopt Laura's Law, which would do exactly that.

opinion33

its amazing how you can read this article and miss the whole point..you only focus in on their home...no amount of money can house or contain a mentally ill child who refuses medical care and the care of their parents. Their 18 yr old son has the civil liberty to refuse-even when hes incompassitated and unable to make rational decisions on his own behalf due to being cognitively impaired. Its not against the law to be psychotic and delusional-only of that behavior becomes a danger to self and other, which we keep witnessing in the headlines of the newspapers is way too late (the irag mentally vet stabbing homeless people, the Seal beach hair salon massaquere, the Kelly Thomas story) there is no way in this county to stop a potentail tragedy-most patients with brain disorders are down at central jail..same place Kelly Thomas was headed before he was beaten to death. Its nearly impossible to live on the streets and not commit or be victimized. But all mental health care s 100% voluntary-and 50% of the patients are uanble to access that system due to being too ill to understand their need for medication. Their sick brains tell them they are fine.

Luvssinatra

Really "Tron" you are basing a big problem in the govenment with your prejudice against people who have made a good living? These "people" are trying to get their son help and you post this kind of stuff? Ask yourself this, "If my son was an adult who could do anything he wished... despite YOUR monitary situation, what would you do?" You have no right to judge. God is the ultimate Judge and you have no right to say anything until you have walked at least a mile in their shoes.

CarlsbadVillageOrthodontist

Ah so he chose to leave the care of his parents? But shouldn't there be a special law for people with mental disabilities, that gives certain powers to their parents at least medically? It's such a sad thing to happen to anyone.