EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – A mother living in three states is speaking out about what it’s like to be a parent to a child with mental illness.
47 years old Adam English He was arrested for starting a fire inside his home, police said.
Adam’s mother, Bridget Murray, spoke of how the past 20 years had been a struggle.
“You just sit there and wait until something happens that will draw the attention of the police and pray that nothing happens that will hurt anyone,” Murray said.
Murray has learned a lot in 20 years.
“There were signs maybe two years ago, but I’ve never had any mental illness,” Bridget said, “so I didn’t know what the signs were.”
In 2004, her son Adam English was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a condition that usually begins in people in their late teens to early thirties.
Adam has been diagnosed with another illness and cannot take oral medication, but is willing to take injectable medication.
“The first time I received it I was amazed – all my symptoms disappeared,” Bridget said.
Court custody was the key to keeping Adam on his medication.
“The moment the court order was revoked, he stopped coming back for his shots,” she said.
Adam was charged with arson after he set fire to a home on South Carus Avenue last week, when police say he was hallucinating.
“Some of the things he’s thinking about are really frightening,” Bridget said.
Bridget says she knew something was going to happen after the last court order expired.
“They said there was no way his contract wouldn’t be renewed given his history, but then in January I got a call saying his contract wasn’t going to be renewed,” Bridget said.
She believes her son needs long-term hospitalization and hopes that will happen once the verdict is reached.
“To me, this is the best outcome because he’s not going to get any better,” she said.
Bridget said Evansville has great resources, but there’s still a long way to go.
“Our mental health system is in disarray, families have no say at all, and the laws are heavily skewed in the opposite direction.”
Adam has been hospitalized nine times, and his mother says that when Adam is in good health, the judge won’t sign renewals of the court order, so the cycle just repeats itself.
“It’s great that he’s been able to achieve that, but if he’s fighting the system to keep it, he’s going to lose. And he’s the loser in this whole situation.”
The Mental Health Alliance has supported Bridget.
She says there are groups for people struggling with mental health, as well as groups for their families.
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