How was I playing armchair psychiatrist? I wasn't making any conjecture about diagnosing the kid.

a social worker being a "trained professional." No. Talk to a PHD. Talk to an MD. They're trained professionals who might actually have experience dealing with mental illness. Social workers deal with situations like when Joey calls Sammy a poopyhead.
Whether or not I agree with her thesis (and I do to a certain extent), the fact a social worker doesn't know how to deal with a possible mental illness doesn't support her thesis at all. Her thesis would be a lot more convincing if a real professional like a PHD or an MD told her that the only option was the kid getting arrested.
I wasn't implying anything calling it a cognitive disorder so idk why you're harping on that. If her kid really has a mental illness, she wouldn't harp on stupid like him meeting dress code and she'd make arrangements with the school so they understood. When your kid is running around the house with knives and threatening to kill himself, the color of his pants should be the least of your concerns.
Not what I'm alluding to at all. The mere presence of a dad wouldn't do anything, my point was that one of his parents is completely out of the picture and doesn't give two s about treating him. Could be his mom. Could be his dad. The fact someone who's supposed to love you more than anything else is the world is nowhere to be found undeniably doesn't help the situation. I mention the dad because in these situations it's been the dad who's missing. I'm not arguing that a masculine presence prevents mental illness.