DEAR DR. GOTT: We have a 33-year-old daughter who is mentally ill. She has currently gone off her meds and is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. She will likely be transported to a state facility. She has refused to sign the paper allowing us to converse with her doctors and caregivers, although we are the only people she has. It is not our desire to control her, but it is our wish to be sure that she is safe and to let those who are caring for her know there is someone out there who still loves her. How can we work with this system that allows her to be her own guardian when she is incapable of even caring for herself?

DEAR READER: This is a serious dilemma. Your daughter is an adult at 33. I don’t know how serious her condition is and how much outside assistance, if any, she requires. [Read more...]