Lubbock Dad Fears His Son Could Kill; Can't Find Mental Treatment
By: Nick Ochsner
Updated: December 23, 2012
A Lubbock dad says he fears his son could be at the
center of the country's next mass killing if he doesn't get treatment
for his mental disorders soon.
The father, who asked not to be identified to protect him and his son, spoke exclusively with KAMC Investigates and said he first noticed red flags in his son's behavior five years ago, when his son was 12.
"It's like you being 13 and having no friends except a six year old and looking for the younger kids, you know?" the dad explained, "and having the social interaction awkwardness."
As his son got older, he continued to be socially awkward, disengaged in class and didn't show interest in typical age-appropriate things like cars.
Then the man says his son became violent; acting out frequently against his father and, at times, others.
The boy's dad says he's tried getting his son help but to no avail.
"There's tons of services available but if you've got insurance we can't see you. it's been one battle right after the other," he said. "They're like 'we can't help you.' its only for people with medicaid or medicare."
But even if the teen was able to find someone to treat his condition, there may not be much that could be done in Lubbock.
Dr. Brian Carr, an area mental health professional who sits on the City of Lubbock's Board of Health, says Lubbock has a surprising lack of resources for youth needing psychiatric treatment.
"If I have a child under the age of 18 who presents for care, there are zero beds in this county that I can put them into the hospital," Carr explained. "I have to rely on Amarillo, Wichita Falls, San Angelo, Midland and that's a sad state for a city that holds such great promise in other ways."
The worried Lubbock father we spoke with says he believes his son needs 24-hour-car that Carr says is absent in our community.
When we asked what he thought would happen if his son didn't receive the treatment he needs, the father says he feared the worst, "something like what happened recently with the kids in Connecticut," he said.
The man's only option so far has been to have his son arrested and worked through the criminal system, essentially turning his mentally ill son into a criminal, something he says he doesn't want to do.
The father, who asked not to be identified to protect him and his son, spoke exclusively with KAMC Investigates and said he first noticed red flags in his son's behavior five years ago, when his son was 12.
"It's like you being 13 and having no friends except a six year old and looking for the younger kids, you know?" the dad explained, "and having the social interaction awkwardness."
As his son got older, he continued to be socially awkward, disengaged in class and didn't show interest in typical age-appropriate things like cars.
Then the man says his son became violent; acting out frequently against his father and, at times, others.
The boy's dad says he's tried getting his son help but to no avail.
"There's tons of services available but if you've got insurance we can't see you. it's been one battle right after the other," he said. "They're like 'we can't help you.' its only for people with medicaid or medicare."
But even if the teen was able to find someone to treat his condition, there may not be much that could be done in Lubbock.
Dr. Brian Carr, an area mental health professional who sits on the City of Lubbock's Board of Health, says Lubbock has a surprising lack of resources for youth needing psychiatric treatment.
"If I have a child under the age of 18 who presents for care, there are zero beds in this county that I can put them into the hospital," Carr explained. "I have to rely on Amarillo, Wichita Falls, San Angelo, Midland and that's a sad state for a city that holds such great promise in other ways."
The worried Lubbock father we spoke with says he believes his son needs 24-hour-car that Carr says is absent in our community.
When we asked what he thought would happen if his son didn't receive the treatment he needs, the father says he feared the worst, "something like what happened recently with the kids in Connecticut," he said.
The man's only option so far has been to have his son arrested and worked through the criminal system, essentially turning his mentally ill son into a criminal, something he says he doesn't want to do.
