Robert's Story

Robert had always been a bright child from a good family.  When he Robert started acting up at 13, John and Susan just chalked it up to normal teenage behavior.  But when his grades kept falling, his parents became even more concerned. 

"We knew we weren't perfect parents, nobody is," Susan explained.  "But his behavior kept getting worse as he started high school.  In his junior year, he was arrested for 27 counts of Burglary."  John and Susan already felt as though the stress would kill them - then their 17 year old son was waived up to adult court and faced many years of adult prison.

John and Susan took their son to three different lawyers for free initial consultations.  "The first two just talked about his case like he wasn't even there.  They were talking about prison Boot Camp, and we didn't think that was in his best interest," John related.  "Then Mr. Cobb started talking about chemical imbalances and brain illnesses.  None of the other attorney's even brought it up."

"We wanted our son back.  He was like a total stranger to us - not the child we had raised.  When we heard about One Stop Therapy, we knew right then and there that was what we wanted," Susan added.  "We never even considered that our son had a mental illness.  We just thought that people with mental illnesses acted crazy."

"I was pretty skeptical," John admitted.  "It sounded pretty far-fetched to me.  I figured the boy needed more discipline, maybe a stint in the military would straighten him up.  I would have probably been okay with Boot Camp Prison if he wouldn't have been hanging out with criminals - that was his problem already."  Susan quickly interjected: "It sounded like exactly what he needed to me.  A mother sometimes just knows when something isn't right with her child, even if she doesn't know exactly what it is.  I knew something was wrong with Robert, but I was at a loss over what to do about it."

Robert was evaluated and diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Type II Rapid Cycling.  After his diagnosis, he then was taken to a psychiatrist and prescribed Depakote.  He also went to one on one counseling for over a year.

"I was so far behind academically, it wasn't funny," Robert confided.  "I got a real break with One Stop Therapy: My criminal case was resolved with a Diversion Program, I took remedial classes, I went to counseling, I wrote letters of apology, I got a job and paid restitution - I was busy.  But I'm glad I went through it all.  If I hadn't found out that my behavior was caused by a medical condition, I would have been in and out of jail like Mr. Cobb warned me about."

Today, as of this writing, Robert is a Junior at a major university with a 3.85 Grade Point Average.  His major is pre-med, and Robert wants to become a doctor so he can help others.

The names in this story have been changed to protect the family's privacy. However, Robert is also an advocate for mental health reform and active in several groups. 

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