My son suffers from schizophrenia and will not take medication. I have court-appointed guardianship but the probate judge told me at the time I couldn’t make him take medication. This seems ridiculous to me. I need help applying for assisted outpatient care for my 24 year old son. Medication helps him so much. How do I start the process? Thanks
I think Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is always court ordered & usually a result of the person with MI getting into legal trouble plus having a history of non-compliance.
I’m guessing the laws vary by state, so you’d probably have to go back to court.
Maybe you could use some recommended methods to help your son find a reason to take his meds, even if he doesn’t believe he needs them for the SZ.
It’s different here in the uk , we didn’t have to go to court and my son had never had an involvement with police but has a history of non compliance and therefore is on a community treatment order where he can be called back to hospital if he refuses meds and dr thinks his mental health is deteriorating.
It’s reviewed every 6 months.
Thank you. I don’t have to go back to court since I have guardianship, but getting help is tricky. I have to say I am in danger or he is. It is frustrating. He definitely is noncompliant. Thanks and best of luck to you too.
I have tried many different reasons and methods to get him to take medication. It has not worked. I called the crisis line and they told me that since I have guardianship I don’t have to go back to court. Getting him help is still tricky. Thanks for your advice.
I’ve spent the year getting my son back on a med that would work since he lost his insight.
I didn’t go to court, but it took 5 hospitalizations in 10 months, plus a long trial on Invega which just didn’t work for him.
He’s on Clozapine now, I’m cautiously optimistic that it will work, but we have a long way to go with it.
However, he will take his meds when I hand them to him now, even though he says he’s not sick, and he says they do nothing for him.
In my state, he does not have to threaten to hurt himself or someone else. He’s never done that.
However, all 5 hospitalizations were involuntary. He would get sick enough to get scared, then he would agree to go to the hospital. Sometimes, he would want to leave once he got there. Other times, he would want to stay. No matter what, they TDO’d him because they said he was not able to protect himself from harm and he was not competent to either consent or decline treatment.
You might not have to go to court, but I don’t understand how you can get something court ordered without something happening inside the court, with or without your presence. Maybe you can call the crisis line back & ask them where you should start? They may not be able to give you legal advice, but they should be able to tell you if there’s a form to file with the court or something like that.
Each US state has different laws and policies.
Where we live, AOT (ACT) is only available as step-down treatment after involuntary hospitalization. Only the court can order it and lots of people who really, really need it still don’t get it.
That said, I would do anything I could to get AOT if it were within my power and the state laws and policies allowed me to work towards it.
The doctor we saw at Emory prescribed Clozapine. My son has not tried it yet because he refuses to take medication. I feel you are correct and I will have to at least get him hospitalized first and hopefully the doctor’s recommendation will help to get the court ordered outpatient care. I have some phone numbers from the crisis center so I will start there. Thanks. I will let you all know what happens.
My son has not seen a doctor in over two years because he refuses. I hate to have to go through all that drama but that is the only way the insurance companies will cover a hospitalization or the hospital will involuntary commit him. I have to say he is a danger to himself.
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