I'm a mental health professional in Ga, and I live fairly close to this area. I think our mental health system has been broken for a long time. There is so much focus on human rights, especially in the field of social work, that it is near impossible to get someone involuntarily hospitalized for more than 3-5 days, if that. It is even more difficult when that person becomes an adult. I just wonder why JH was not involved in an intensive case management program with the community mental health center in that area. He could've been placed in a group home if he had been in such a program. In addition to that, I wonder why an outpatient commitment order for mental health services was not initiated by LE and or mental health professionals. It seems that the grandparents certainly made enough enough calls to police to necessitate the request for such an order. If the order had been in place, he would've been required to show up and receive treatment (possibly an antipsychotic 30 day shot for those who are noncompliant and more service. Then if he had not kept those appointments could've been arrested and forced to undergo treatment. I've been reading about this case, and I'm just heartbroken about it. I think some professionals along the way dropped the ball and failed to get him into the level of care that he needed. That being said, mental illness is no excuse for a crime. And this crime is especially horrific.
I feel for these poor victims and their families and JH's grandparents. Those grandparents had dealt with him and his problems for nearly his whole life and it's sounds like they did a lot to try to help him. It does sound like he was in some kind of psychotic state and possibly a dysphoric (angry/mean vs the usual euphoric) manic state. However, that does not mean that he could not also have an Axis II disorder, such as Borderline Personality, Antisocial (Sociopathic) or Narcissistic). Those things are not necessarily treatable with medications because they are simply representative of the maladaptive personality traits a person has developed over their life span. And people who have inadequately treated Axis I disorders ( Bipolar, Schizophrenia or schizoaffective) are more likely to develop the Axis II - personality disorders, simply because their brain and body is so all consumed by the overwhelming symptoms of the Axis I disorder and their personality does not develop as it should. Again, not an excuse for any crime. Just a sad reminder that the mental health system failed and now we have lost two beautiful children who had their whole lives ahead of them. I pray for all families involved and the victims. May they rest in peace and know that justice will be served.