Criminal charges

Help!  My son was badly bullied a few years ago away at university and has been suffering from depression and anxiety.  He has also been diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder.  We live in the North of Scotland and have found it difficult to get him help and his mental health has deteriated.  A few weeks he got into a black hole and had  a meltdown, he had a knife and we feared for his life so called 999.  The police came and son lost all reason and ended up being pepper sprayed, spent the night in the cells and is now facing three charges and court appearances.  A week after he was also diagnosed with Autism.  As you can imagine his mood is even lower after this.  We need help to explain that it was his mental health conditions that caused the meltdown.  Is there any advice out there that can help a struggling family.

Parents
  • I don't know if it's any consolation to you, but I was in trouble back in 2010.  At the time, I was off work following a suicidal breakdown.  This was before I'd been diagnosed with autism, and at a time when it was suspected by my therapist that I had BPD.  I was living in an apartment block where a young neighbour in an adjoining flat had just died in mysterious circumstances.  The police visited us and told us that they suspected it was carbon monoxide poisoning, and the boiler in the block (which was old and hadn't been properly serviced by the landlord) was to blame.  I completely lost the plot on that news.  I hadn't been drinking for a while... but I got drunk that night and smashed up the boiler room.  I broke all the windows, kicked down some doors and destroyed the boiler chimney.  Bear in mind that I had never been violent before in my life.  I was arrested and spent a night locked up.  I lost my home as a result.

    No charges were pressed against me, though, because of the extenuating circumstances, and in view of my mental health.

    Hopefully, all of your son's history and his diagnosis will similarly be taken into account, and the charges will be thrown out.  I sincerely hope so - but follow the other advice you've been given.

Reply
  • I don't know if it's any consolation to you, but I was in trouble back in 2010.  At the time, I was off work following a suicidal breakdown.  This was before I'd been diagnosed with autism, and at a time when it was suspected by my therapist that I had BPD.  I was living in an apartment block where a young neighbour in an adjoining flat had just died in mysterious circumstances.  The police visited us and told us that they suspected it was carbon monoxide poisoning, and the boiler in the block (which was old and hadn't been properly serviced by the landlord) was to blame.  I completely lost the plot on that news.  I hadn't been drinking for a while... but I got drunk that night and smashed up the boiler room.  I broke all the windows, kicked down some doors and destroyed the boiler chimney.  Bear in mind that I had never been violent before in my life.  I was arrested and spent a night locked up.  I lost my home as a result.

    No charges were pressed against me, though, because of the extenuating circumstances, and in view of my mental health.

    Hopefully, all of your son's history and his diagnosis will similarly be taken into account, and the charges will be thrown out.  I sincerely hope so - but follow the other advice you've been given.

Children
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