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Photo of David Dopkin

Texas mother fights to get schizophrenic adult son into facility

On Behalf of | Aug 20, 2013 | Social Security Disability Benefits for Mental Conditions

The mother of a severely schizophrenic 41-year-old man is fighting to have her son admitted to a mental health facility after months of being bounced around between hospitals and jail. Her main concern is that her son is not getting the treatment he needs for his mental condition even though she and her ex-husband, who currently have legal guardianship over their son, are requesting he receive treatment at a state facility.

The problem for the mother stems from the fact that she currently lives in Texas while her son and ex-husband live in Iowa where state run mental hospitals say they are ill-equipped to handle him. Though the man’s parents want him to receive psychiatric treatment for his schizophrenia, one mental health institute has already refused him treatment because they say he is too out of control for them to handle.

As readers of our blog know, living with severe mental disabilities can be equally daunting for the people with the disabilities and their caretakers as well. This is especially true for people with schizophrenia, which can force a person out of a job and wreak havoc on a person’s financial stability. Sometimes, without the help from government assistance, such as Social Security disability, people with mental disabilities like this can fall through the cracks of society, ending up in a similar position like the man mentioned above.

It’s worth pointing out that disability benefits could be incredibly beneficial in a situation like this because they could be used to provide the man with the treatment he needs and deserves. With proper treatment, the man might be able to improve his condition and return to a relatively normal life in the end.

Source: The Des Moines Register, “Mentally ill Ottumwa man in jail after hospital refuses to take him back,” Tony Leys, Aug. 17, 2013