Two years ago, a desperate mother kicked her son out of the house in the hope it would force him to seek help for the drug addiction that was destroying their lives.

Her 25-year-old son has been living on the streets since and he refuses help. The mother can do nothing about it because her son is an adult.

“My son is sick. Since he started taking drugs, he is not the same person. He developed paranoia. Does not trust anyone. He gets furious for no reason, he smashes things. He needs help.

"But, because he is an adult, there is nothing I can do. He has decided to self-sabotage, and I can only stand and watch,” says his mother.

The woman – who first expressed the desire to share her story in the Facebook community Women for Women – spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity.

This photo on social media showed where her son was sleeping. The mother recognised his shirt.

She explains that her son never got a diagnosis, has never been to court and has never tried to hurt himself or anyone – so far.

Problems started when her son was 18 years old. A shy man, he started hanging around with relatives who did drugs.

He started ordering synthetic cannabis online which would be delivered at home. Such drugs are known to be associated with mental health problems.

As time passed, she noticed he started to change. He dropped out of MCAST, took on a job as a delivery person and stopped caring about his looks.

“He became paranoid at work and home. He was even paranoid about food and thought I would poison him. He locked himself in his room and did not want to meet anyone… A year into this, his hair started falling out.

The state of her son’s room when he still lived at home.

“I convinced him to go to a dermatologist and she immediately noticed he was depressed – but he did not take the medication… He started getting angry and swearing for no reason – banging and breaking things around the house. I had to call in the police on two occasions, but they did not do much,” she said.

Meanwhile, as the situation escalated, her youngest daughter started to feel unsafe.

She warned her son he would have to leave if he did not change his ways.

“I offered to take him wherever he needed for help. I tried going everywhere. I was always told the same thing: they cannot do anything unless he wants help,” she says.

He ignored her. The anger and negativity continued.

Drugs made him angry: he stayed in his room and destroyed it.

“I thought about it for very long. Then one day I just had to. I told him to leave,” she says.

Initially, he went to relatives who had first introduced him to drugs, but they eventually kicked him out – and he ended up on the streets.

It’s been two years, during which his mother tried to keep track of his whereabouts.

There was a time when he lived in a room in a field. Then in a disused garage for a few months. He slept outdoors with other homeless people or in shelters. He eats from soup kitchens.

She recently recognised his shirt in a photo shared on social media – the photo showed a dirty mattress and someone’s personal belongings in a parking area.

The same boy who was so shy he would not speak to strangers, now asks strangers for money

“Now and again, he comes home. I always let him in. I allow him to shower. But, when I offer to drive him to get help, he gets angry again. He tells me that this is his life now.

“My son begs for money. The same boy who was so shy he would not speak to strangers, now asks strangers for money. He still buys drugs from the money he gets,” she says.

The mother feels helpless and does not know what else she can do.

“I still feel very guilty. Because I had to get to this point. Because I did not find a solution to bring him back. Because I was a single mother, and he had no father figure.

“I thought that, if I throw him out and he’d find himself alone, he would come back and accept help. But this did not happen. It breaks me to know he is out there. That this is what he wants. But drugs are an illness – and I should be able to help my sick son even if he does not want my help.”

Court order could help

Prof Anton Grech, clinical chairman of Mental Health Services, explained that while an addict cannot make rational decisions, one has to maintain a balance and ensure there is no breach of basic human rights.

Research showed the success rates of addicts forced into rehab were similar to those of people who chose to start a programme.

An addict who refuses help could be forced into it by order of a court. The Mental Health Act also provides for treatment against a person’s will if that person is deemed a danger to others or himself.

If there is reasonable suspicion that a person suffers from severe mental health issues, then the person could be admitted against their will for 24 hours to get a diagnosis – following a doctor’s referral.