John and Susan took their son to three different
lawyers for free initial consultations. "The first two just talked
about his case like he wasn't even there. They were talking about
prison Boot Camp, and we didn't think that was in his best interest,"
John related. "Then Mr. Cobb started talking about chemical
imbalances and brain illnesses. None of the other attorney's even
brought it up."
"We wanted our son back. He was like a total
stranger to us - not the child we had raised. When we heard about
One Stop Therapy, we knew right then and there that was what we wanted,"
Susan added. "We never even considered that our son had a mental
illness. We just thought that people with mental illnesses acted
crazy."
"I was pretty skeptical," John admitted. "It
sounded pretty far-fetched to me. I figured the boy needed more
discipline, maybe a stint in the military would straighten him up.
I would have probably been okay with Boot Camp Prison if he wouldn't
have been hanging out with criminals - that was his problem already."
Susan quickly interjected: "It sounded like exactly what he needed to
me. A mother sometimes just knows when something isn't right with
her child, even if she doesn't know exactly what it is. I knew
something was wrong with Robert, but I was at a loss over what to do
about it."
Robert was evaluated and diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder, Type II Rapid Cycling. After his diagnosis, he then was
taken to a psychiatrist and prescribed Depakote. He also went to
one on one counseling for over a year.
"I was so far behind academically, it wasn't funny,"
Robert confided. "I got a real break with One Stop Therapy: My
criminal case was resolved with a Diversion Program, I took remedial
classes, I went to counseling, I wrote letters of apology, I got a job
and paid restitution - I was busy. But I'm glad I went through it
all. If I hadn't found out that my behavior was caused by a
medical condition, I would have been in and out of jail like Mr. Cobb
warned me about."
Today, as of this writing, Robert is a Junior at a
major university with a 3.85 Grade Point Average. His major is
pre-med, and Robert wants to become a doctor so he can help others.
The names in this story have been changed to
protect the family's privacy. However, Robert is also an advocate for
mental health reform and active in several groups.
