When we found out his severe addiction from meth, his public defender and a police officer told us our son is not only drug but also something mental issue.
We didn't want to think it. We blamed drug for his strange behaviors.
We took him to a psychiatrist and told the doctor whole story about him. Then my son started taking aripiprazole 5mg. This was 8years ago. He became very normal, and he quit drug ( we believed ) But later we found out he was doing again. We couldn't live with him anymore because our HOA gave us a warning with a lawyer and ask us to remove him, or we would have to move out. Since then, we can't help him. Then he has been sober house, jail or street. We found that my son was a depression decease more than 8 years ago. He never told us anything. The doctor told him to stay hospital and get treatment, but he turned down doctor's offer because he doesn't lose his job. He loved his job and he didn't want to lose his job. We have to realize he has mental illness now. We should have encouraged him to stay hospital. He was a hard worker. Now, sobor house managers and social agencies told us they can't force him to take medicine. This made us hopeless. We have been thinking all the time about his drug addiction was caused from his mental illness or drug made him mental issues. Then now, we feel so bad and sad because we can't accept living with him. When I go to bed, I think my son may be in street now with dirty clothe,,,,I feel so much guilty. I can't sleep. If he was mental illness originally, I should help him. But We may be homeless if we accept him to move in our house. If he is a little kid, we can control. But he is an adult . we can't control him . We can't watch him 24 hours. If he is just mental illness, his case is mild, he can live nicely with us. We can just make sure him to take a medicine everyday. But if he takes meth sneakily we will be trouble again.