Perez Hilton may remain under psychiatric care for six months or even longer following a livestreamed self-harm incident, Our News Outlet has learned.
Hilton, 48, was hospitalized last Tuesday night under Florida’s Baker Act, a law that permits the temporary involuntary detention of people experiencing a mental health crisis, after alarmed TikTok viewers saw him repeatedly injure himself with a knife.
Doctors are treating the Hollywood gossip blogger and media personality for what has been described as “significant” blood loss, along with other injuries that have not been disclosed.
A well-placed source told Our News Outlet that Hilton is expected to be left with permanent scarring from multiple wounds.
“Perez knows that something happened, and he knows things aren’t good right now,” a friend said.
“But he doesn’t have a lot of presence of mind. He’s not able to fully process what happened.
Perez Hilton remains hospitalized after a self-harm incident last week, with insiders saying his recovery is expected to take months rather than days
“This is not going to be something where in five days, I’m like, ‘he’s fine.’ This is months, maybe years.”
Hilton – real name Mario Lavandeira Jr – won’t be allowed to go home when he’s medically discharged.
He will instead be moved to a secure psychiatric facility where specialists will have 72 hours to assess his mental health.
The blogger could walk free when the clock runs down if they don’t think he’s a risk to himself or others.
But that’s a ‘long shot’ according to Mark Astor, a veteran Florida attorney specializing in Baker Act cases.
‘You don’t just get to walk out of there after 72 hours,’ Astor told Our News Outlet.
In a statement shared to Hilton’s website , his team revealed that he suffered ‘significant blood loss’ in the horrific incident, as well as unspecified ‘additional injuries’
Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home where Perez Hilton was found after he appeared to harm himself during a TikTok livestream on August 5, in Westchester, Florida
‘Whether it’s a mental health issue, drugs, or all of the above, they need to get to the bottom of what has happened here. Period.’
There are three possibilities, according to Astor, a former prosecutor, defense attorney, and partner at Astor Simovitch Law.
‘Number one, they could release him. Number two, they get him to agree to stay on a voluntary basis.
‘Or number three, they could file what’s known as a petition for involuntary placement,’ Astor explained.
The latter would involve a Miami-Dade judge holding a hearing within five days to decide whether Hilton should remain locked up.
The case would be confidential – with media barred from attending or hearing any of the details.
Hilton had been hospitalized earlier this year in March, and had shared pictures of himself in a hospital bed while recovering from sepsis
His mother, Teresita Lavandeira has remained at the hospital throughout his recovery, according to sources familiar with the situation
‘Most of the time these things take place inside the actual facility,’ said Astor.
‘There’s going to be a prosecutor from the state attorney’s office, and either a private defense lawyer or a court-appointed public defender.
‘There’ll probably be a doctor there from the facility saying this is why we need more time.’
Patients can be held for a maximum of six months at a time. But a 30-day order is more realistic in Hilton’s case, Astor predicted.
He says the media personality’s family have a crucial role in what happens next.
Devoted mom Teresita Lavandeira, 72, has been at her son’s bedside at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital since last week’s episode.
Legal experts say a judge could order Hilton (pictured with singer Katy Perry in 2010) to remain in psychiatric treatments for months if he is deemed a danger to himself or unable to care for himself
It’s possible she and her daughter Barbara Giarraffa, 42, could persuade authorities to release Hilton to a private facility, which would cost between $15,000 and $30,000 per month.
The pair could also apply to become his legal guardians, taking responsibility for Hilton’s healthcare decisions away from the State of Florida.
‘If he’s willing to get help, great. It’s possible they come to an agreement with the state for what’s known as a bed-to-bed transfer,’ Astor explained.
‘They could potentially file for a guardianship. In effect, they would be saying to the judge, listen, we want to get the state out of the picture here.
‘He’s got a family that loves him and we want to be the decisionmakers for him.’
Hilton’s three kids – Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight, all born via surrogacy – are in the custody of their grandma.
They have not been to the hospital to see their dad because family members fear it would be too traumatic, according to Our News Outlet’s sources.
The trio were at Hilton’s Miami home last week when he began to behave erratically before quick-thinking Teresita ushered them outside and called for help.
A neighbor’s Ring camera captured police trying to coax him from the rented property before they decided to ‘tactfully disengage’ and ‘monitor the situation.’
Dispatch records from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office described the incident as a ‘suicide attempt.’
The blogger moved from Las Vegas to Miami earlier this summer to focus on his family after suffering a devastating bout of sepsis requiring 21 days in the hospital and two surgeries.
In a subsequent interview with Our News Outlet, Hilton revealed the near-death experience had prompted him to become a born-again Christian.
Hilton’s team confirmed that his ‘children remain safe and are being cared for by immediate family’
‘This has probably been a long time coming. He just reached the point of no return,’ said Astor, a nationally-recognized behavioral health lawyer.
‘The fact that he did it online on TikTok suggests he was praying for help: “Somebody come and save me.”
‘The idea here is to get him back in the game, not to tarnish him or take his children away. I think he’s going to get the help he needs and he’s going to be a dad again.’
A statement posted to the Perez Hilton website over the weekend read: ‘Perez’s condition remains serious but stable.
‘He experienced significant blood loss and sustained additional injuries that will require surgery in the coming days.
‘His treatment and recovery will be a long process. We are grateful that Perez was able to spend time with his mother and sister yesterday.
‘As our family remains focused on Perez’s treatment and recovery, we also need the space and privacy to care for everyone affected by this situation.’
If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans at 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800.
