Some more details have emerged regarding Nick Reiner’s mental health battle.
Details on Nick Reiner mental health
The 32-year-old has been charged with the murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, and was placed in a mental health conservatorship from 2020 to 2021, two people with knowledge of the legal arrangement told The New York Times.
A clerk with the Los Angeles Superior Court recently confirmed to the outlet that the conservatorship concluded in 2021.
Nick’s appointed conservator Steven Baer, a licensed fiduciary, which manages matters and care for clients recently told the NYT that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy,” but declined to comment further.
Nick was put under an L.P.S. conservatorship, based on the 1967 law known as the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act which are typically initiated by a doctor or begins after an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, according to The New York Times.
Generally, the Judicial Branch of California states, “Mental health conservatorships are for people with serious mental illness who need special care. Family members or other private parties cannot start a mental health conservatorship. Typically, treatment staff at the hospital where the person is receiving care can start the process.”
Nick has been candid about his struggles with substance abuse, which began when he was a teenager and led to 18 stays in rehab. The screenwriter had teamed up with his dad in 2015 to create the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which depicts a father trying to help his son navigate his addiction battle.
“It’s reflected in the movie where the father character talks about how he didn’t know what to do, so he listened to anybody who had a desk and a diploma,” Rob told Entertainment Tonight in 2016.
“I made mistakes and that I didn’t go with my gut instinct and the feel. And I know Nick better than some expert who’s never met him.”
In fact, the Spinal Tap director went on to share his regrets about how he handled Nick’s addiction in the past.
“Had I listened to my own instincts, I would have done a lot better by Nick. But you do what you do,” he continued.
“You want to keep him safe. So, you do what they tell you. You feel you’re at their mercy. But what I feel after all of this is it’s not about punishing. If somebody is struggling and has difficulties, you don’t punish them for that. And I think a lot of these programs feel like the kid is being punished. And I don’t think that’s a great way to go.”
