As young adults reach legal maturity, they often succumb to the pressures and challenges of adult life. This is also a time when those susceptible to mental health problems or those with previously mild or even undiagnosed developmental disabilities often begin to manifest serious symptoms.
The families of such young adults basically lose their rights to seek care for their children when the child becomes 18. At this time, when the young adult with a predisposition to such conditions as Schizophrenia or Catatonic Deterioration first begins to manifest serious symptoms and behaviors, there is little that the family can do when the young adult refuses treatment.
I believe legally increasing the age in which parents have the right to make important health-care decisions on behalf of their children to age 26 years, (as coverage is already maintained with many family health insurance policies including military health coverage and Obama's health-care plan), would not only save lives, but would aid in reducing the amount of misdiagnosis, homelessness, and consequential crime due to untreated and unsupported persons and families.