<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2117852/open_sms">Send us a text</a></p><p>A mother shares her 18-year journey supporting a son with schizophrenia through mental health system failures, incarceration, and experimental brain surgery.<br><br>• Colleen Scott's son started showing signs of schizophrenia at age 17, withdrawing socially and exhibiting erratic behavior<br>• A prosecutor advised having her son arrested "to get him in the system" for mental health help, resulting in traumatic incarceration<br>• Laws preventing family commitment, alongside HIPAA restrictions at age 18, create nearly insurmountable barriers for families seeking help<br>• After years of struggle, Colleen secured disability benefits and eventually enrolled her son in an experimental Deep Brain Stimulation trial at Johns Hopkins<br>• The mental health system's integration with the legal system often criminalizes mental illness rather than treating it<br>• Current group home living with court-ordered treatment provides some stability, though interactions with police remain common<br>• Colleen advocates for better training for law enforcement and restoration of family commitment options with proper safeguards<br>• Organizations like the National Schizophrenia and Related Conditions Society (NSSC) offer hope through focused advocacy and lobbying efforts<br><br><br></p><p>https://tonymantor.com<br>https://Facebook.com/tonymantor<br>https://instagram.com/tonymantor<br>https://twitter.com/tonymantor<br>https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic<br>intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild<br>Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)</p>