PHOENIX — The killing of Peoria couple Scott and Tina Turk — allegedly at the hands of their 29‑year‑old son, Jonathan — has reignited concerns among Arizona families about what can be done when an adult loved one is spiraling into crisis but refuses help.
Court documents say Jonathan killed his parents with a hammer and a knife after becoming angry that they had put him on medication.
The couple had reportedly been seeking mental health help for their son for years before the double homicide at their home near 83rd Avenue and Jomax Road on March 31.
What parents should know about involuntary psychiatric evaluation in Arizona
Dr. Carol Olson with Valleywise Health said it can be difficult for parents to get mental health help for an adult child who seems seriously ill and refuses treatment, especially because each state has its own legal process for requesting an evaluation.
“Arizona’s rules about it are actually fairly liberal,” Olson told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos earlier this month.
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She explained that a person doesn’t have to be an immediate danger to themselves or others for someone to request an evaluation on their behalf.
“You can have such severe symptoms that you’re suffering in a significant way because of your untreated mental illness and you don’t have any insight into the condition and therefore you don’t recognize you can’t make a choice about getting treatment,” Olson said.
Under Arizona law, family members can step in where they see fit.
“If your illness is that severe that you’re really suffering, but you don’t see it, Arizona, unlike some states, does allow family members or others who have witnessed the symptoms to apply for the person to have an involuntary psychiatric evaluation,” she added.
How to request a psychiatric evaluation for an adult in Arizona
If someone sees an adult struggling with serious mental health issues, they can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for guidance.
They can also go to one of Maricopa County’s 24/7 psychiatric emergency rooms — or similar facilities in other counties — to request an evaluation or fill out the necessary paperwork.
“If the staff at that urgent care center recognizes that, yeah, it sounds like this is a legitimate situation where this person needs to be evaluated, they can send the police to pick the person up and bring them there to that facility,” Olson said.
At the hospital, the person in need of mental health assistance goes through a 72‑hour evaluation that includes:
A physical exam
Lab tests
Assessments by two separate psychiatrists
If both psychiatrists determine the person meets the criteria for involuntary treatment, they remain in the hospital and have a court hearing about a week later.
What to expect when an Arizona judge reviews a mental health evaluation
“At that hearing, there have to be two people coming to testify as to what they observed about the person’s serious symptoms that suggested that the person was either a danger to themselves or others — or significantly impaired because of their symptoms,” Olson said.
What happens next is up to the judge.
“If the judge orders treatment, then it’s kind of flexible because, normally, the judge orders a combination of both inpatient and outpatient treatment,” Olson explained. “The person stays in the hospital until the doctors think that they’re stable enough to be in the community without patient treatment.”
Once the patient is discharged, they’re still required to follow the treatment plan, including keeping clinic appointments, taking prescribed medication and meeting other conditions, she said.
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