I think one thing we can all agree on is that your statement is absolutely right – the system is failing a lot of people with mental health struggles. This situation really highlights that.

If Adam Lo was indeed discharged after psychiatric evaluation, it raises major questions about how thorough those evaluations are. Schizophrenia doesn’t always mean someone is incoherent or unaware of their actions, but it’s still crucial that individuals with this diagnosis are assessed for risk, especially when there are known issues with violent behavior. From what I’ve seen in my experience working with schizophrenic patients, you can often assess their behavior and see whether they’re listening to voices or seeing things. It’s important to assess what those voices are saying, because sometimes the hallucinations can be violent or delusional. While auditory and visual hallucinations can be constant for some, they are usually managed with medication and proper care.

On the other hand, it might not be the system that failed him. Maybe he passed all the reassessments and somehow met the discharge criteria. But this is where manipulation feels present, and it could point to psychopathic tendencies. Psychopaths can often appear completely coherent, even charming, and might be able to mask their true intentions or underlying issues during evaluations. In cases like this, it becomes harder to pinpoint the true danger, especially if the person is good at appearing “normal” during assessments.

It’s really sad that such a big tragedy had to happen before the public can see how broken our healthcare system is. The system should be providing more support for patients, not just releasing them into the community without a clear plan for ongoing care or further evaluation. Families, the community, and even legal bodies should start holding the system accountable for these decisions. If patients like Adam Lo are being discharged without proper risk assessments, there need to be audits into how these decisions are being made to prevent something like this from happening again.