WORCESTER, Mass. \u2014 For Todd Miller, giving up on his son is not an option.<\/p>\n
His son Nick has been diagnosed with five different mental health illnesses, including schizophrenia. He\u2019s also been sectioned nearly a dozen times. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s help, Miller says, never lasts long enough and only comes when something terrible happens. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would either be evaluated for an hour and then released in an hour or they\u2019d keep him for a few days and stabilize him. The problem with this two three-day evaluations is that it\u2019s not long enough,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n
He says he wants to prevent a tragedy from happening next because right now, he admits, he is afraid of what his son may do without the right medication. <\/p>\n
Medication could take months to get right, but his son has never gotten the opportunity to try any given medication for an extended period of time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hate to admit it, but yeah. For years, I thought that could never happen because he doesn\u2019t have an ounce of that in him, but it\u2019s not him most of the time anymore,\u201d he said when asked if he was afraid of his son. <\/p>\n
Miller says it wasn\u2019t always like this. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe had many friends, he played basketball, baseball, and football. He had girlfriends. He had plans,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
But when he was about 19-years-old, a switch went off, and Nick started hearing voices. <\/p>\n
\u201cThings started to go really bad; he started calling us saying very strange things, his friends would call and say, ‘ Jeez, he\u2019s acting very odd,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Miller says that was only the beginning of a very painful decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son doesn\u2019t smile, he barely talks.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is proof that he just can\u2019t take care of himself, and many ppl like him can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Miller can sift through hundreds of documents about his son Nick, a pile that paints a very real picture of what it\u2019s like when someone you love suffers from a severe mental illness, by law his son can still refuse the medication and treatment he needs. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy son knows what can happen depends on what he says, so I think he hides his symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 32-years-old, Nick can even block his proxy, who is his father, from stepping in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can uninvoke the proxy even if you\u2019re incompetent and incapacitated,\u201d Miller said. <\/p>\n
As inconceivable as it is to do, Miller can compare his son to Nick Reiner, who allegedly killed both of his parents, Rob and Michelle Reiner, in December of last year following a long battle of what\u2019s believed to be similar mental health issues.”<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like the intersection, everybody knew it was going to be a problem, and then nothing happened until there was a death,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Miller says other countries are way further along in combating the mental health crisis, especially when it comes to the continuation of care. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with early intervention. Then there are less glitches. There are less bureaucratic roadblocks and excellent after care,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In Massachusetts specifically, he says it is even harder for families to take action on behalf of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is extremely frustrating, you start to learn that there is no end of the rope, it just gets longer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why he says he wants to see better aftercare become available so his son Nick can return to himself again. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a father, you get upset, you cry over things, then you regroup cuz you have to because it\u2019s your family member.\u201d <\/p>\n
He says giving up now is not an option, and he will continue to fight for his son. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn my mind, I think that\u2019s why he\u2019s still alive, you know, some people have given me this tough love advice, and I just can\u2019t follow it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller says his son\u2019s stay at the recovery center is up in August. He fears that if circumstances don\u2019t change<\/a>, his release could do more harm than good, and it won\u2019t be long until he\u2019s readmitted or even worse. <\/p>\n This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. <\/p>\n Download the FREE Boston 25 News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n