he was doing fine for years, but I started noticing him talking stranger and stranger towards the end, in the last phone call he was completely insane, talking about people or phantoms chasing him, he never once talked about seeing things until that point, the month prior he was telling me he heard voices and started unplugging TV's and radios thinking that was the source, if I had it to do over again I would have called the police up to check on him after that last call,, I believe he was on serquel and also taking buspar along with something else I cant recall at the moment, but like I said, if you notice anything like that get help fast, those are some powerful drugs.
I think they sent a shrink in because when I had the accident, I had empty containers of beer in my car (my state is a bottle deposit state), my trunk was full of other stuff, so I put them behind my seats, taped up). And I had a open container of brandy in my console from the holiday seasons that I had forgotten about. (Note: Blood/urine tests showed I had not been drinking). I know the amount of empties I had probably looked bad (6 12-packs), during winter I tend to put off bottle return until it warms up (haven't made that mistake again).
So next thing I know there's this shrink in my room, asking about how much I drink, family life, and then was this a suicide attempt, unreal.
Only good I got out of the accident was my medication for Panic Disorder. I took myself off the bi-polar med since it made me randomly puke, so during the past 7 years and all the other psych evals, I haven't been on any bi-polar med.
I appreciate the fact you have structured an "Action Plan" however I expect the court will give this little to no weight as the courts and prosecutors hear this often.
Another hurdle is the fact that he may be diagnosed and prescribed meds now, but was he diagnosed back when he committed the crimes? If he was diagnosed at the time it appears he still knew right from wrong.
Lastly, if he has now lost his primary job I suggest he contact the courts about filing another financial affidavit to see if he qualifies for a Public Defender.
Good to know how mental disorders are looked at by most courts.
He was not diagnosed until this last visit a week ago. The Psychiatrist didn't even know about the criminal charge until I asked for the letter.
The first visit a few months ago, the Psychiatrist said that he'd noticed my hubby has problems with "impulsivity, anger, and depression." But, the Dr. didn't find anything conclusive other than probable Bi-polar. He'd told my husband that people with Bi-polar don't realize they are Bi-polar, so I (his wife) needed to come in and describe what I'd been seeing of him over the years. After I read and recollected memories, the Psychiatrist said, "You've got a very classic case showing Bi-polar."
I'm confused as to why it matters if he was diagnosed before or after the crime? The thing with Bi-polar is that they feel on top of the world at the time of their manic phase. They can get upset over very little things. Then, they do things without thinking them through and just believe they are unbeatable. There are moments where they do know right from wrong. But, they don't tend to see the "bigger picture" so to speak.
For example, since he has no work, he's been looking for jobs in his profession several states over. He's convinced we need to move. He doesn't think about our children's education (they are in a terrific chartered school right now that I worked hard to get them into), the moving costs, and of course the possibility that he's wasting his time anyway because they may not even hire a person with a record, and a person that screwed up royally in his profession. Of course there are several more things that a move involves as well. It just doesn't compute in his mind. He just sees a job (with no knowledge of the pay), and wants to apply, and is convinced that they will take him.
The above is a classic manic phase. Does it mean he doesn't know right from wrong? Not exactly. But, I'd say he definitely doesn't think with common sense and with the knowledge and understanding that his actions will have consequences (good or bad).
As for the PD, he did call them today, and was told that at the court hearing he will just need to request one then. I plan on having paperwork for him to give them showing his terminations.
One thing about out of state job hunts (from experience).
I went down to Florida in September. I had almost had a couple jobs, but it came down to....they wanted me to have my own car with me, and an apartment lined up. But atleast I know where to start off the job search again.
Also some ads will specify "Local residents only". And yes, you are right, a background check will affect his chances of a job anyway.
The courts will take a persons mental disorder or disability into account, they simply will not know if the disorder was present or its severity at the time he decided to falsify the receipts as he was only just now diagnosed after his arrest.
If he had been diagnosed prior to the incidents it might have lent more weight to a claim that he was not making rational decisions due to the illness.
I would have hoped they could have taken a new financial affidavit and gotten a PD assigned prior to the hearing. Urge him to be patient until one is assigned because going by himself to speak with the prosecutor is not a good idea.