I will not help you “get rid” of your loved one.

In this video, I want to talk to you about handing your loved one over to the state.

This past week, I had a call from a family. They have an adult son who has a mental illness. The mother called me panicking and said, “I need you to get rid of my son.” and I said, “I beg your pardon? I don’t know what you mean by that.” She told me that she needed help handing him over to the state, and I said no, I’m not going to do that. I told her that I would not help her hand her son over to the state.

I asked her what was going on, and she began to tell me the story. He’s been out of various treatment centers for mental illness. This has been going on for many years, and the family can’t take it anymore. I certainly understand the stress, anxiety, pressure, and everything dealing with a loved one who has a mental illness and substance use. But if you call me and ask me to “get rid” of your loved one, my answer is no. I might even hang up on you because I’m not going to do that. I do not want to hand anybody over to the state because the state’s not the best situated to make determinations for your loved one.

We have a lot of tools here at Drug and Alcohol Attorneys and Baker Act Attorneys that’ll help your loved ones get the treatment they need. It’s not just the treatment they need, but also to stay in a facility long enough so they can recover.

If there’s a silver lining in this situation wherein somebody wants to get rid of a family member, it’s that if you don’t take care of it, at some point, the state will do it for you. The state will either incarcerate your loved one, or they’ll make them a ward of the state and put them in a mental institution. At that point, you’ll be able to get rid of them, and you won’t have to deal with the situation anymore. I think that’s a sad day when that happens. I’m sorry, but I can’t be a part of that.

With that said, I appreciate the call from the lady. I hope that things will turn around for them, and I hope they’ll take advantage of the tools and the free resources we have here.

Until the next time, take care, and be well.