Lost in the Gun Control Discussion...

[Landlord]

Lost in all the gun control hooplah is, I feel, the biggest issue that should be addressed these days, and is not getting it's proper amount of attention. The issue is mental health. Read the article:

 

 

For days, my son insisted that I was lying—that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, "I hate you. And I'm going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here."

By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. I've heard those promises for years. I don't believe them anymore.

 

On the intake form, under the question, "What are your expectations for treatment?" I wrote, "I need help."

 

And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.

 

I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza's mother. I am Dylan Klebold's and Eric Harris's mother. I am Jason Holmes's mother. I am Jared Loughner's mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho's mother. And these boys—and their mothers—need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it's easy to talk about guns. But it's time to talk about mental illness.

 

 

 

No one wants to send a 13-year-old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, "Something must be done."

I agree that something must be done. It's time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That's the only way our nation can ever truly heal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://gawker.com/59...m-lanzas-mother

[BigRedBuster]

To me, there is something wrong when we shut down institutions that are supposed to help these people and basically put them out on the streets in society and expect nothing bad to happen.

 

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation's largest treatment centers in 2011.

[rawhide]

My wife has a cousin in prison for life after committing a homicide. He had been under the care of a psychiatrist for years but was very non compliant with his meds. One day he felt a man sitting at a bus stop was threatening him so he killed the individual.

 

A court found him guilty of a homicide but not insane even though 2 different psychiatrists verified that he was considered clinically insane. His life in prison has been pretty horrible for more than 20 yrs. If he doesn't take his meds, the other inmates beat him if he starts getting kinda "crazy". And since he only has the capacity of a 4th grader, he doesn't cope very well. That's the system on the left coast for this case.

 

Of course, you can imagine what the parole hearing personnel think. Wow, dood is short a couple puppies for the picnic. They know he is a danger but nobody does anything. Does he deserve to be locked up. Sure; probably just not with a bunch of pos that could care less.

[beanman]

Well, at least it sounds like they'll keep some focus on it based on this article... http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/18/15997391-obamas-push-on-gun-violence-begins-to-take-shape?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=1

[bennychico11]

I know this "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" article is the hit of all of Facebook. But I kind of disagree with it. At least based on what I've read about Adam. I do agree that the mental health issue needs addressing as much as the gun control issue does. But did Adam really have a mental health problem that could have been addressed beforehand and result in prevention of this act?

It's been declared that Adam had at least aspergers syndrome...some media outlets alluded that this could be the reason for his actions. But at the same time many parents and physicians (including an FBI behavior analyst) have come forth saying that the media is wrong and that this syndrome does not result in such violent behavior. Even family members have been public saying that Adam was a reserved, quiet person who may have been a genius accelerating in his classes, etc...but never bullied or someone they would think would be this violent. The above mentioned FBI agent stated this was something that was calculated. He picked his guns, loaded them with plenty of ammunition, shot his mother in her sleep, destroyed his computer in such a manner that would make it impossible (or difficult) for anyone to trace his history, etc.

 

I know the woman in the above article may have had problems with her son. But from the sound of it....Adam Lanza's mother didn't have the violent issues that she did. Nowhere have I seen Adam painted as a violent child who suffered from mental health issues. So is our communities response on mental health really a factor in this issue? I question whether Ms. Long's son would really result to such violence as what happened here in Connecticut. Acting out in temper tantrums is common with children who have autism. But they are typically against people who they are in direct contact with. Like family members. And these are in sporadic fits of rage. These children aren't known to just go off and carefully plan a calculative shooting against innocent children/people.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2...file/index.html

 

But maybe I'm missing some reporting?

[EbylHusker]

But did Adam really have a mental health problem that could have been addressed beforehand and result in prevention of this act?

Who knows? But more importantly, who cares? As you said, mental health is a serious issue in this country and it needs to be addressed. Part of that could very well mean finding better ways to IDENTIFY and help individuals who need it, including some that right now easily go undiagnosed (or misdiagnosed). Even if his issues might not have been caught with the current system, that doesn't mean further development and effort in the field couldn't identify issues for others in the future.

[MLB 51]

I work in a Mental Health Facility.

 

About 15 years ago the State of Oklahoma could longer afford to house Private care patients.

One week after they released a large number patients back into society(threw them out on the street).

A man took a shotgun, went to the local hospital, and killed a nurse. She used to be a nurse here.

 

The biggest problem is, there is no way of knowing if a patient continues to take their meds after they leave our care.

[Landlord]

I know this "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" article is the hit of all of Facebook. But I kind of disagree with it. At least based on what I've read about Adam. I do agree that the mental health issue needs addressing as much as the gun control issue does. But did Adam really have a mental health problem that could have been addressed beforehand and result in prevention of this act?

It's been declared that Adam had at least aspergers syndrome...some media outlets alluded that this could be the reason for his actions. But at the same time many parents and physicians (including an FBI behavior analyst) have come forth saying that the media is wrong and that this syndrome does not result in such violent behavior. Even family members have been public saying that Adam was a reserved, quiet person who may have been a genius accelerating in his classes, etc...but never bullied or someone they would think would be this violent. The above mentioned FBI agent stated this was something that was calculated. He picked his guns, loaded them with plenty of ammunition, shot his mother in her sleep, destroyed his computer in such a manner that would make it impossible (or difficult) for anyone to trace his history, etc.

 

I know the woman in the above article may have had problems with her son. But from the sound of it....Adam Lanza's mother didn't have the violent issues that she did. Nowhere have I seen Adam painted as a violent child who suffered from mental health issues. So is our communities response on mental health really a factor in this issue? I question whether Ms. Long's son would really result to such violence as what happened here in Connecticut. Acting out in temper tantrums is common with children who have autism. But they are typically against people who they are in direct contact with. Like family members. And these are in sporadic fits of rage. These children aren't known to just go off and carefully plan a calculative shooting against innocent children/people.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2...file/index.html

 

But maybe I'm missing some reporting?

 

 

 

Benny, I think you're proving the point of the spirit of the article. The biggest truth to take away from this is that we don't know how much Adam's mental health affected this tragedy. It could very well be reality that his mental condition played a huge, or even the determining, factor, and we need to have better systems in place to identify these sorts of potential behaviors and to treat them.

 

Even if Adam was an anomaly, the discussion still needs to be had in a desperate way.

[BigRedBuster]

I know this "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" article is the hit of all of Facebook. But I kind of disagree with it. At least based on what I've read about Adam. I do agree that the mental health issue needs addressing as much as the gun control issue does. But did Adam really have a mental health problem that could have been addressed beforehand and result in prevention of this act?

It's been declared that Adam had at least aspergers syndrome...some media outlets alluded that this could be the reason for his actions. But at the same time many parents and physicians (including an FBI behavior analyst) have come forth saying that the media is wrong and that this syndrome does not result in such violent behavior. Even family members have been public saying that Adam was a reserved, quiet person who may have been a genius accelerating in his classes, etc...but never bullied or someone they would think would be this violent. The above mentioned FBI agent stated this was something that was calculated. He picked his guns, loaded them with plenty of ammunition, shot his mother in her sleep, destroyed his computer in such a manner that would make it impossible (or difficult) for anyone to trace his history, etc.

 

I know the woman in the above article may have had problems with her son. But from the sound of it....Adam Lanza's mother didn't have the violent issues that she did. Nowhere have I seen Adam painted as a violent child who suffered from mental health issues. So is our communities response on mental health really a factor in this issue? I question whether Ms. Long's son would really result to such violence as what happened here in Connecticut. Acting out in temper tantrums is common with children who have autism. But they are typically against people who they are in direct contact with. Like family members. And these are in sporadic fits of rage. These children aren't known to just go off and carefully plan a calculative shooting against innocent children/people.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2...file/index.html

 

But maybe I'm missing some reporting?

 

 

 

Benny, I think you're proving the point of the spirit of the article. The biggest truth to take away from this is that we don't know how much Adam's mental health affected this tragedy. It could very well be reality that his mental condition played a huge, or even the determining, factor, and we need to have better systems in place to identify these sorts of potential behaviors and to treat them.

 

Even if Adam was an anomaly, the discussion still needs to be had in a desperate way.

 

Please explain. To me, there is no doubt that his mental health was the deciding factor in this. NO WAY does someone who is completely mentally healthy does this.

[Undone]

Who knows? But more importantly, who cares? As you said, mental health is a serious issue in this country and it needs to be addressed. Part of that could very well mean finding better ways to IDENTIFY and help individuals who need it, including some that right now easily go undiagnosed (or misdiagnosed). Even if his issues might not have been caught with the current system, that doesn't mean further development and effort in the field couldn't identify issues for others in the future.

 

Exactly, great post.

 

If we maintain the status quo, there's no progress in the field of mental health. And not only that, but public awareness needs to rise on these issues so that folks who are suffering inside aren't marginalized from society. If someone suffers from a mental illness (not necessarily Lanza, but just in general) that is at the chemical level in the brain, that disease is no different than heart disease or some other disorder. It's a disease. It needs treatment. Sometimes medicinal, and sometimes therapeutic.

[strigori]

To me, there is something wrong when we shut down institutions that are supposed to help these people and basically put them out on the streets in society and expect nothing bad to happen.

 

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation's largest treatment centers in 2011.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but it has to do with money and politics.

In the 80's 2 things happened. We stopped funding state run mental health facilities. And two, we allowed private, for profit prisons.

They are counting on a number of the mentally ill to commit crimes, and then get sent to prison. Even if they are 'not guilty by reason of insanity' they still go to prison for the mental health care/rehab.

 

And socially we have a stigma attached to mental illness that makes it more or less a modern day 'Scarlet letter' That is something that needs to change. Especially for men. A lot of the attitude is 'man up and get over it' and things are not always that easy.

[MLB 51]

To me, there is something wrong when we shut down institutions that are supposed to help these people and basically put them out on the streets in society and expect nothing bad to happen.

 

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation's largest treatment centers in 2011.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but it has to do with money and politics.

In the 80's 2 things happened. We stopped funding state run mental health facilities. And two, we allowed private, for profit prisons.

They are counting on a number of the mentally ill to commit crimes, and then get sent to prison. Even if they are 'not guilty by reason of insanity' they still go to prison for the mental health care/rehab.

 

And socially we have a stigma attached to mental illness that makes it more or less a modern day 'Scarlet letter' That is something that needs to change. Especially for men. A lot of the attitude is 'man up and get over it' and things are not always that easy.

I hate that term. We have more than 50 patients that carry the NGRI tag. Funny thing is, you have to be found "competent" to recieve this type of sentence.

[carlfense]

I hate that term. We have more than 50 patients that carry the NGRI tag. Funny thing is, you have to be found "competent" to recieve this type of sentence.

Yeah . . . but competency during proceedings and NGBRI are different things . . .

[Undone]

And socially we have a stigma attached to mental illness that makes it more or less a modern day 'Scarlet letter' That is something that needs to change. Especially for men. A lot of the attitude is 'man up and get over it' and things are not always that easy.

 

Another +1. Extremely important to change this. Compassion for our fellow man, and an ability to empathize...two things that are increasingly scarce in our society today.