The parents of Joel Cauchi, the Sydney shopping mall attacker, expressed great sadness for what their son had done and sent heartbreaking and distressing feelings to other families caught up in the incident. On Monday, Andrew Cauchi, Joel's father, said to the media that his son was a "beautiful" boy who had gone off the rails as soon as he had stopped his medication.

Andrew, in which he says he's very sorry and his heart is broken for the families of the tragic incidents that took place, said he loves his son very much. He chronicled his son's struggle with schizophrenia and indicated that he had remained committed to standing with him through the mental health challenges.

Joel's mother, Michele, agreed with Andrew and said she was shocked; she could not believe what her son was doing. She said Joel's demeanor was totally uncharacteristic and really played on his taking his treatments and care to heart in the past.

Both parents have highlighted the fight that their son had in battling against mental illness and the huge impact it really did have on his life. They extended their condolences to the affected families and thanked the police involved in arresting Joel for keeping others safe.

This is yet another tragedy of the Cauchi family, a better reminder of why we need better understanding and support from our beloved ones who are confronted with mental health problems. This underlined the responsibility of the communities in identifying and contributing to addressing these matters to avert similar tragedies.