Every time TikToker Cameron Luke (@lakeviewliving) goes to Starbucks, she sees a homeless man by the dumpster. He clearly is having some kind of mental health crisis. He talks to himself, hits himself, and rocks back and forth.
One day, she walked over to him and asked if he had had anything to eat or drink. She gave him water and a snack. He told her that his family called him crazy and that they don’t love him anymore.
They had him involuntarily committed to the psych ward. The doctor told him there was nothing wrong with him. They released him and sent him back to his family.
“So, I go home and do some digging, and I finally find the guy’s family,” said Cameron. “I message them. We connect later that week on a phone call.”
She told them where he was. They explained that they had him involuntarily committed, but the facility allowed him to check himself out.
When he got home, he was super mad. He screamed and yelled at them for betraying him. He was also sent home without any medications.
The family called the facility and asked what they should do. They were told to call the police and file a restraining order. Once he violates the restraining order, he will be arrested and taken to jail. Once he was in jail, they could force him to take his medications.
“The resources told them that’s the only way if he will not voluntarily go in,” said Cameron.
“That’s the only way, so that’s what they did. They called the police, made a police report, took out an injunction, a restraining order.”
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However, he left and never violated the restraining order. So now, the family is just waiting for the day that he finally hurts someone or violates the restraining order so he can get arrested and receive the mental health treatment he needs.
Every time Cameron goes to Starbucks, she buys him a bottle of water and a sandwich. She felt that it was the least she could do for a man who was failed by the entire system.
His family was trying to help him, but he was unable to see that. She hopes that one day, he will go back to his family and accept help.
In the comments section, many TikTok users shared stories about the mental health struggles their own family members have gone through, emphasizing the lack of mental health care in our society.
“Wow, so sad. There was just a guy who was reported missing in my town, and I’m pretty sure this is what happened. They just let him leave, and he was walking around, not knowing where he was. Thankfully, his family found him,” commented one user.
“Our system is broken, but he won’t get the help locked up either. I have a loved one who has mental health issues, and they did nothing for him in jail,” wrote another.
“I know the system all too well. I had to put my sister under a 72-hour hold. We were at the end of our rope years back. She was out after two hours,” chimed in someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
