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| Mental Illness |
It is human nature to try to blame someone or something for the acts of a deranged mind. It is more difficult to accept that someone could open fire in a crowded gathering not because of political motivation, but simply because he is mentally ill.
That fact is becoming clearer in the aftermath of the tragic shootings in Tucson. Jared Lee Loughner, the man who allegedly pulled the trigger that killed six people and wounded a number of others, is in custody. As facts slowly emerge about his troubled life, however, it is evident that this case has more to do with a breakdown in our mental health system than anything else.
Here’s what we do know
1) For years preceding this incident, Loughner showed classic signs of schizophrenia. This disorder afflicts a small percentage of the population. According to experts, it is a severe and chronic malady that requires a lifetime of medication and care.
Among the symptoms are hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Some of Loughner’s friends report that in the last year, his delusions and paranoia grew more serious, even to the point where he refused to leave his parents’ home.
2) His behavior was becoming more bizarre and disruptive. After high school, Loughner enrolled in Pima Community College in Tucson. However, he was expelled from the school when professors and students reported fearing his irrational comments, believing they would lead to violence. College officials told Loughner he could not return to classes until he had undergone a mental health evaluation. That apparently never occurred, and Loughner did not return to school.
3) Loughner had run-ins with the Pima County police for a number of incidents, including drug charges. A friend of Loughner reported that the young man was a frequent user of marijuana. Medical testing has long known that repeated exposure to such drug use can make dealing with reality much worse for someone suffering from schizophrenia.
4) Loughner also had contact with the object of his anger, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona. In earlier meetings, he questioned her as to why the government was using “English grammar structure” in an attempt to brainwash Americans.
5) Comments on his web site includes an admission that he had suffered a “mental breakdown.”
Sadly, all of the above incidents point to a troubled young man who was increasingly detached from reality.
Some are using the tragedy for political purposes, trying to attach Loughner’s actions to a political party, talk radio, or the recent elections — despite a complete lack of evidence. One of Loughner’s friends pointedly told reporters that Loughner did not subscribe to any political party, did not listen to talk radio, and had no interest in elections.
President Barrack Obama got it right Wednesday night when he urged people not to assign blame for the shootings, which he correctly noted might never be fully explained.
We would go one step further. We would urge our leaders to take a deeper look at our mental health system, which since the 1960s has actively de-institutionalized many of those with serious mental health issues.
The intent was honorable — to “mainstream” those who suffer from mental health problems, so they are not stigmatized. But we can no longer ignore the fact that opening the institutional gates has also taken away the very support system that could help those who need help, but cannot help themselves.
Information Source : Google and Yahoo Search
That fact is becoming clearer in the aftermath of the tragic shootings in Tucson. Jared Lee Loughner, the man who allegedly pulled the trigger that killed six people and wounded a number of others, is in custody. As facts slowly emerge about his troubled life, however, it is evident that this case has more to do with a breakdown in our mental health system than anything else.
Here’s what we do know
1) For years preceding this incident, Loughner showed classic signs of schizophrenia. This disorder afflicts a small percentage of the population. According to experts, it is a severe and chronic malady that requires a lifetime of medication and care.
Among the symptoms are hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Some of Loughner’s friends report that in the last year, his delusions and paranoia grew more serious, even to the point where he refused to leave his parents’ home.
2) His behavior was becoming more bizarre and disruptive. After high school, Loughner enrolled in Pima Community College in Tucson. However, he was expelled from the school when professors and students reported fearing his irrational comments, believing they would lead to violence. College officials told Loughner he could not return to classes until he had undergone a mental health evaluation. That apparently never occurred, and Loughner did not return to school.
3) Loughner had run-ins with the Pima County police for a number of incidents, including drug charges. A friend of Loughner reported that the young man was a frequent user of marijuana. Medical testing has long known that repeated exposure to such drug use can make dealing with reality much worse for someone suffering from schizophrenia.
4) Loughner also had contact with the object of his anger, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona. In earlier meetings, he questioned her as to why the government was using “English grammar structure” in an attempt to brainwash Americans.
5) Comments on his web site includes an admission that he had suffered a “mental breakdown.”
Sadly, all of the above incidents point to a troubled young man who was increasingly detached from reality.
Some are using the tragedy for political purposes, trying to attach Loughner’s actions to a political party, talk radio, or the recent elections — despite a complete lack of evidence. One of Loughner’s friends pointedly told reporters that Loughner did not subscribe to any political party, did not listen to talk radio, and had no interest in elections.
President Barrack Obama got it right Wednesday night when he urged people not to assign blame for the shootings, which he correctly noted might never be fully explained.
We would go one step further. We would urge our leaders to take a deeper look at our mental health system, which since the 1960s has actively de-institutionalized many of those with serious mental health issues.
The intent was honorable — to “mainstream” those who suffer from mental health problems, so they are not stigmatized. But we can no longer ignore the fact that opening the institutional gates has also taken away the very support system that could help those who need help, but cannot help themselves.
Information Source : Google and Yahoo Search
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