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No Other Alternative
May 11th, 2005 was a life-altering day for a twenty-four year old young man named
Joshua. At 8:00 AM, as Joshua knelt praying by his bedside, two Sebastian County sheriffs
entered his door. Startled and frightened, Joshua began to state, “I won’t go peacefully you
will have to take me by force.” As the sheriffs placed handcuffs on him, he did not put up a
fight. When entering the car, Joshua began to exclaim, “Other apostles for Christ have
been incarcerated; as a martyr myself, I will suffer the consequences of praising the Lord.”
The next stop for Joshua was the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center where
he was evaluated. Within a short period of time, he was placed again in the car and
transported to the courthouse. As he stood in the courtroom, his sister sat behind him,
tears streaming down her face. The judge listened intently to the testimony of his parents.
Joshua sat quietly, he had nothing to say except, “Jesus Saves.” The judge’s decision was
made, and Joshua was committed for thirty days to the Arkansas State Hospital. Joshua’s
thirty-day stay turned into ninety days. His refusal of medication led to him receiving court
ordered injections.
Joshua is a paranoid schizophrenic. Although he knelt peacefully praying the day the sheriffs
arrived, days before he had burnt the back of his legs to cast out the demon spirits he
believed had taken over his being. Joshua had suffered with paranoid schizophrenia for two
and half years. He had no awareness of his illness, even though he had faced dismissal from
the army and could no longer hold down a job. His parents encouraged him to seek help,
but to no avail. His mother continually called the courthouse explaining his bizarre
behaviors, but was told he had to become a danger to himself or others before he could be
committed against his will. That day came.
The decision to involuntarily commit their child was one of anguish for Joshua’s family.
However, a nurse that cared for him during his stay at the State Hospital informed his
mother, he would have died had the family not stepped in against his will. He was suffering
from severe sleep deprivation and near starvation. He had become so encompassed by his
delusional beliefs he shut himself out from all who loved him. His auditory hallucinations gave
him no peace, and he believed remaining on his knees for hours at a time was his only
refuge. Upon his release from the hospital, Joshua moved in with his mother. He attends an
outpatient program, sees his therapist and psychologist regularly and takes his medication.
Although he still does not see his illness clearly, he looks at his mother often and says,
“Thank you.” When she replies with “What for”—he simply states, “You know.”
~ Debbie Scharbor, August 5, 2005
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