DEAR DR. GOTT: Many of us have lived the frustration of trying to get help for a mentally ill adult daughter. Because the brain is the dysfunctioning organ in this illness, the person has no insight into the condition and, thus, refuses to help. Most mentally ill people know how to “shape up” when appearing before a judge so it’s difficult to have the person deemed a “danger to themselves or others,” which is the criteria for forced treatment in most states. The tragic part is the fine line between dangerous and non-dangerous and, way too often, the first evidence that would enable this classification causes death or injury to an innocent person or a mentally ill person. I would recommend that parents attend a support group in their area for families of the mentally ill. A good place to start is www.NAMI.org.
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