The “suicidal” California doctor accused of driving his Tesla with his family inside off a cliff allegedly suffered from “major depressive order” and experienced a “psychotic” break during the 2023 crash.

Dharmesh Patel, 43, was experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believed his children had been sex trafficked, two doctors testified at a hearing on Wednesday in Redwood City.

The Pasadena radiologist’s delusions were provoked by the nation’s fentanyl crisis, the war in Ukraine and feared his children could be kidnapped and molested, which appeared to have been connected to Patel’s worries about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, psychologist Mark Patterson said according to the Orange County Register.

Wednesday’s hearing was a response to an earlier request from Patel who is seeking a mental health diversion in his case.

If a judge grants the doctor’s request, Patel would be placed on a two-year treatment plan instead of receiving jail time.

Patel’s charges would be dropped if he doesn’t commit any crimes during the proposed treatment plan.

If Patel is placed in the mental diversion program, James Armontrout, a Stanford psychiatric clinician, will oversee the treatment.

Patel’s potential treatment includes “extensive outpatient care involving group and individual therapy sessions, as well as meetings with himself and a psychotherapist,” according to the outlet.

The doctor was deemed a good candidate for the program because he’s at low risk of injuring anyone else and has shown progress with his treatment since the crash.

“I see him as someone who is very motivated and amenable to treatment,” psychologist Mark Patterson testified at the hearing.

Patterson said it was “clear to me he has a good capacity” to respond to treatment.

Patterson’s diagnosis of Patel came after a series of 18 tests were conducted and he spoke with the doctor and his siblings.

Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder for the Jan. 2, 2023 crash where he drove the family’s car off a 250-foot cliff off “Devil’s Slide” on Highway 1 and landed on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children — a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy at the time — miraculously survived.

The father of two has pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming his Tesla Model Y was experiencing tire issues at the time of the crash.

Patel’s wife, Neha, however, had told investigators after the crash that her husband was suicidal and intentionally drove off the road

“He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposefully drove off,” Neha told rescuers.

The Tesla was found to not have been in self-driving mode and witnesses claimed the vehicle did not indicate any signs of malfunction.

Prosecutors argued against the diversion program, claiming Patel was diagnosed with a different disorder, known as schizoaffective, and isn’t suffering from a major depressive disorder.

Schizoaffective is a chronic mental condition similar to schizophrenia.

The prosecutors have also argued the difficulty it would be to monitor Patel if the case leaves the court.

“If he goes off his medication, how do you know? It’s not like being on probation or on parole. It’s purely the visits with the psychiatrist,” Dist. Atty. Stephen Wagstaffe said to the court according to the LA Times.

Patel has remained in custody without bail at San Mateo County Jail.

It was impossible for the AP to determine the exact role injections may have played in many of the 94 deaths involving sedation that reporters found nationally during the investigation’s 2012–2021 timeframe. Few of those deaths were attributed to the sedation and authorities rarely investigated whether injections were appropriate, focusing more often on the use of force by police and the other drugs in people’s systems.

The idea behind the injections is to calm people who are combative, often due to drugs or a psychotic episode, so they can be transported to the hospital. Supporters say sedatives enable rapid treatment while protecting frontline responders from violence. Critics argue that the medications, given without consent, can be too risky to be administered during police encounters.

California was among the states with the most sedation cases, according to the investigation, which the AP did in collaboration with FRONTLINE (PBS) and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism.

Midazolam was given in 15 of the 16 California cases, all by paramedics outside of a hospital. The drug can cause respiratory depression, a side effect experts say may be dangerous when mixed with police restraint tactics that restrict breathing — or with alcohol or certain drugs that a person may already have consumed.

The 16th case involved a man injected with a similar class of drug, lorazepam, while police restrained him at a hospital in San Diego.

Two emergency room doctors in San Diego told the AP they have discussed switching to ketamine, which supporters say is safer and works faster than midazolam. But the doctors said negative headlines about ketamine, especially after deaths and misuse in Colorado, stalled that idea.

We’re coming up on the fifth month of the year as we enter May, and Californian residents are awaiting the new round of payments from CalFresh, which will be distributed based on the last digit of their case number. Here’s the crucial details…

As Californians await their benefits, we must understand the deadlines and timeline in order to make their food purchases in the state-level version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

CalFresh is California‘s adaptation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides monthly benefits to low-income individuals and families, as long as they are eligible.

The benefits are designed to assist with the purchase of nutritious foods, which are distributed through an Electronic Benefits Card (EBT). CalFresh benefits can be used as a debit card at selected supermarkets to purchase the required foods.

It is important to clarify that this is not a loan and repayment is not required. The amount you receive, which depends on factors such as household size and monthly expenses, is intended to improve the health and well-being of low-income Californians.

CalFresh must be spent on approved foods and it cannot be spent on hot food, toiletries, alcohol, cigarettes, fuel and other non-food substances.

Who is eligible for CalFresh benefits?

The criteria for CalFresh Payments eligibility are among the simplest, but you must follow these guidelines in order to receive your benefits.

You must have been a California resident for at least the last 10 years.

The maximum household income level will be less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty level. For a single person, the maximum gross income allowed is approximately up to $2,430, while a family of eight can have up to $8,428.

Have an Adjusted Net Income, which is used to determine the monthly benefit amount. Elderly and disabled households use net monthly income instead of gross income for eligibility evaluation.

If you are an able-bodied adult with no dependents (ABAWD), between the ages of 18 and 49, who is able to work and has no dependents, you are also eligible, but you can only receive three months of CalFresh payments within a 36-month period, unless a specific exemption applies.

If the household includes someone who is elderly (age 60 or older) or disabled, the net monthly income limit will be used for eligibility checks.

When are food stamps paid in California during May 2024?

CalFresh payments are disbursed through an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card within the first 10 days of each month. Payments on schedule for May 2024 are:

• May 1: The last digit ends in 1.
• May 2: The last digit ends in 2.
• May 3: The last digit ends in 3.
• May 4: The last digit ends in 4.
• May 5: The last digit ends in 5.
• May 6: The last digit ends in 6.
• May 7: The last digit ends in 7.
• May 8: The last digit ends in 8.
• May 9: The last digit ends in 9.
• May 10: The last digit ends in 0.