[mmichaels1970]

Mr. Deeds could not get his son into a hospital, so he took him home. Now He’s dead, when he just should have been treated. Legally speaking nobody is at fault.

I'll reserve judgement until the facts come out. But I'd think the hospital would have put up a heck of a fight to prevent Deeds from taking his son home. Once you check in under those sorts of circumstances, at least in my neck of the woods, it is extremely difficult to check out unless somebody in authority deems the crisis has passed.

Even if a bed is found at another facility. The matter of practice around here is that the person is transported via ambulance to intake rather than taken there by a parent, guardian, or friend. I've seen it at two different ER's in two different hospital networks.

I'm not sure what the circumstance specifically was going in. But if he was suicidal or homicidal it's almost standard procedure to go through a 5-7 day evaluation period before it is determined that the crisis is over.

If the situation were that this kid was exhibiting homicidal or suicidal ideations, then there may indeed be somebody legally at fault.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Moods can change mercurially and evaluations obviously depend on what the person says. The person could be envisioning mayhem and murder, and yet give a very sweet spiel when questioned. Multiple-personality breaks can work that way depending on what personality is at the fore.

At the base of most mental illnesses, I would assert, are lies of some kind. The mind can only embrace so many lies before it goes tilt.

[frithguild]

If the situation were that this kid was exhibiting homicidal or suicidal ideations, then there may indeed be somebody legally at fault.

You are correct to withhold judgment at this point. Some states, like Fla and the Baker Act, provide for State assistance PROVIDED the subject presents a foreseeable risk by enunciating their ideation that fits the criteria. Absent that, a person suffering a psychotic episode, perhaps a paranoid that does not want confinement, may easily slip through by mouthing the right words.