About-Face on the Insanity Defense

Back before my youngest son became schizophrenic, I used be very cynical about the "insanity defense". I did agree that drowning all your kids, like Andrea Yates did, unquestionably qualified for the insanity defense. But, I thought the measuring stick for insanity should be something similar to: If the accused could drive a car and remember to stop at stop signs and find their way to a specified location, then they weren't insane enough for me. I was really convinced that I was on to something.

I was wrong. We live we learn.

It is strange how certain parts of a person's brain can be disfunctional while others seem unaffected. Needless to say, I have done an about-face.

We just got word, that his second attempt to be designated Disabled by the government was approved. The first request was denied because they did not receive the medical documentation from Hospitals, Doctors, etc., the paperwork that they needed to complete the process. This time we hounded everyone to send in the paperwork. He was also examined by a psychiatrist designated to do tests on him for the Social Security office. His father will be in charge of managing his money; they are sending him a packet of papers to fill out first. Hopefully this is a step toward being able to live on his own someday and get a chance to have part of the life that was robbed from him.

He knows his life has changed drastically from being the "Golden Boy" before his illness struck. The local newspaper even came out to our house to interview him and my husband and me. A reporter had contacted his high school, because they wanted to interview a student who was one of the best and brightest, someone who broke the mold of the slacker image of High School boys. His school suggested they interview Savant and his parents. I don't remember if this was before or after it was announced that he was the only Merit Scholarship Finalist in the whole school. He was pleasant and brilliant and normal. The cruelty of this illness is immense, partly, because he can remember when the world was his oyster.

This isn't the only horrible affliction, of course, but it is the one our family deals with. As his parents, it has broken our hearts and been very frightening and difficult, but we don't have the disease. I really can't come close to imagining the full extent of the suffering, confusion, frustration and isolation that Savant experiences.