Mental Health Court Program
Trevor* was the kind of young man most would consider an adolescent superstar: a scholar and an athlete, surrounded by a loving family and good friends. Life seemed as close to perfect as it could be.
But things began to change for him, and it seemed that Trevor’s life was crumbling. His mother was diagnosed with a serious medical condition, a situation that was understandably stressful for the entire family, but Trevor began acting very differently than the person his family and friends knew and loved. One fateful day, something inside him caused his behavior to escalate to the point that was no longer safe, and to protect him and those around him, the police became involved. Trevor was charged with a felony, and it looked as though he would be spending time in jail. A bright, young man with a great future, now going to jail…it was unthinkable!
Fortunately, GNMH has a Mental Health Court program that was designed for precisely this kind of situation. Trevor had suffered a psychotic episode, something that he had never experienced before. The resulting behavior was due to an undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorder.
Sending Trevor to jail would have resulted in the very worst kind of outcome and would only have done him further harm. Thankfully, Trevor’s family was connected with expert providers at GNMH who advocated that he be considered for the Mental Health Court project. This program allowed him to be diverted to inpatient psychiatric treatment, which is what Trevor needed in order to be diagnosed, treated, and stabilized.
Today, only eight months later, Trevor is stable, receiving the treatment he needs, and is back on track with the life he had envisioned for himself. He is enrolled in college, carrying a full-time course load, and is pursuing an intensive and challenging major course of studies. His life is his own once again. His family, including grandparents and other extended family members, are beyond thrilled with the positive results of what could have been a tragedy in a young life. The entire extended family is fully supportive and involved in his recovery and progress. As for Trevor’s parents, they are so grateful that the future is bright once again, and they are more than thrilled to tell the individuals involved in his care: “You truly saved our son’s life, and we are forever grateful!”
