There are often warning signs that indicate an adolescent may be headed for a mental health crisis.

The first step in such situations is always to eliminate access to a weapon.

Psychiatric interventions can best ensure an individual in crisis receives the help they require.

On September 4, 2024, ninth-grader Colt Gray used a rifle gifted to him by his father, Colin Gray, to kill four people and injure nine others at his Georgia high school. In a development that echoes the 2021 tragedy in Michigan that saw a school shooter’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, charged with involuntary manslaughter, Colin Gray has been found guilty of more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence.

While no parent has a crystal ball that predicts what challenges their child will experience, there are often warning signs that indicate an adolescent may be headed for a mental health crisis. The Crumbley and Gray families’ legal cases illustrate the moral imperative for parents to seek professional help on behalf of suffering children, as well as the extreme legal necessity to pursue proactive mental health care. Willful blindness, and putting a weapon in the hands of their child, now constitute a crime.

According to news reports, Colt’s parents were aware of his history of panic attacks and violent episodes. In 2023, his father was notified by the FBI when a Discord account linked to Colt’s email was found to be posting threats to “shoot up a middle school” on a message board. Still, he was permitted to keep a firearm in his room.

The first step in such situations is always to eliminate access to a weapon, closely followed by accepting that such behaviors cannot and shouldn’t be swept under the rug. They require the involvement of qualified professionals who can recommend a range of clinical options as well as key legal avenues that are detailed in what I call a “Mental Health Legal Toolkit,” while understanding and accounting for differences in state laws. These legal avenues include:

Psychiatric intervention: Distinct from those featured in movies and TV shows, psychiatric interventions bring together a specialized team of practitioners, along with concerned family members, to address someone’s escalating mental health issues. With a mental health attorney, psychiatrist, case manager, and often security personnel, loved ones can best ensure an individual in crisis, who lacks the capacity to understand their condition, receives the help they require.

Hospitalization: An individual can be hospitalized voluntarily or involuntarily if an episode occurs in which the individual poses a substantial risk of harm to self and/or others. Psychiatric hospitalization allows for a psychiatrist and/or other mental health professional to evaluate any potential medical and mental health issues, establish a diagnosis, and recommend a treatment plan.

Mental health warrant: The process of obtaining a mental health warrant involves petitioning the court to issue a civil warrant to bring the individual, with appointed counsel, to court for a hearing. Here, the court determines if he/she currently poses a danger to self or others and should be remanded to a psychiatric emergency room for immediate evaluation and possible admission for treatment.

Of course, a family’s options change considerably once a child turns 18 years old and is considered an adult in the eyes of the law. This milestone—or its approach—should prompt family members to consider additional measures, including:

Guardianship or conservatorship: This proceeding authorizes the court to appoint and oversee a legal decision-maker for another adult, who, due to incapacity, disability, or “functional limitations” is unable to manage his/her own affairs.

Assisted outpatient treatment: This court-ordered treatment for an adult’s mental illness and supervision in the community aims to prevent “a relapse or deterioration.”

Advance directives: Legal advance directive documents, executed while the individual has the requisite mental capacity, contain an individual’s prior expressed wishes regarding medical treatment or financial affairs. They include Healthcare Proxy and Power of Attorney.

HIPAA and state-specific release forms: Filling out the proper authorization allows treatment providers to release otherwise confidential information pertaining to patients/clients to family members or other designated individuals. This makes it possible for families to speak with treatment teams and best understand diagnoses and medical or psychiatric treatment records.

There is nothing the judicial system can do to bring back the students and teachers killed in Georgia on that terrible day. However, by finding Colin Gray culpable of the murders committed by his son, the courts are following the precedent set in the Crumbley case. As a mental health attorney who knows too well what tragedy a mental health crisis can bring, it is my hope these outcomes serve as strong deterrents for parents opting to ignore their children’s mental health issues and the implications of access to deadly weapons.

© Psychology Today