PATRICIA Allen, a mother of three, is at her wits’ end and is pleading with the authorities to assist her in getting her son, who is a person with a mental issue institutionalised, where he can benefit from specialised psychiatric care and medications.

Allen of Lot 14 ‘B’ Field, Sophia told the Guyana Chronicle that her nightmare began when her 19-year-old son, Jaheel, became mentally challenged at age 17 and is now out of control.

Mrs. Allen, who is a single parent, said that she learnt that her son gravitated towards cannabis sativa some years ago, while he was still in school; coupled with peer pressure that drove him to use cannabis mixed with cocaine.

She related that that combination literally blew his mind and he became fully unstable. She says he is a nuisance to society, since the authorities refuse to take him in for proper treatment.

Mrs. Allen says that her son is very violent when he roams the village and would usually break everything in her home when he is smoking drugs. She displayed many marks of violence on her body, trademarks of her off-spring.

Presently, he resides at her home but she simply cannot manage him when he goes out of control.
Her household furniture and appliances have long been bent out of shape.
A few nights ago he smashed the windscreen of a villager’s vehicle and she cannot replace same.

This mother is contending that her son should be housed in the New Amsterdam Psychiatric Hospital until he is better and then she could have her real son back.

Mrs. Allen stated that whenever she takes her mentally ill son to the Georgetown Public Hospital Psychiatric Ward he would be admitted only for a few hours or days after which he is released to roam the streets.

She believes that Jaleel is so violent he needs proper care and medication and has become a danger to himself and others, which is a very frightening situation for her.

Mrs. Allen told the Guyana Chronicle that she cannot talk to her son because he cannot comprehend and is in a ‘world of his own.’

She said that he usually walks around naked in the yard.

Mrs. Allen said that she is a diabetic and many days she is so unwell given the abuse she has to endure because of her circumstance as it relates to her son.

This mother, a diabetic, is hoping that the relevant authorities step in to offer her son some place where her son can be placed until he is better because she cannot relate to him and it is taking a toll on her health as it did with her husband, who passed away.