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A mother shares her 18-year journey supporting a son with schizophrenia through mental health system failures, incarceration, and experimental brain surgery.

• Colleen Scott's son started showing signs of schizophrenia at age 17, withdrawing socially and exhibiting erratic behavior
• A prosecutor advised having her son arrested "to get him in the system" for mental health help, resulting in traumatic incarceration
• Laws preventing family commitment, alongside HIPAA restrictions at age 18, create nearly insurmountable barriers for families seeking help
• After years of struggle, Colleen secured disability benefits and eventually enrolled her son in an experimental Deep Brain Stimulation trial at Johns Hopkins
• The mental health system's integration with the legal system often criminalizes mental illness rather than treating it
• Current group home living with court-ordered treatment provides some stability, though interactions with police remain common
• Colleen advocates for better training for law enforcement and restoration of family commitment options with proper safeguards
• Organizations like the National Schizophrenia and Related Conditions Society (NSSC) offer hope through focused advocacy and lobbying efforts

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intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

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