A different look
I am in my own little world, I haven't even heard of the horrific tragedy. I turn on the news and see a soft spoken 7 year old girl recounting the incident, "A lot of the kids said they had a stomach ache afterwards." So do I sweetheart, so do I. And so I spent the next hour watching CNN through a teary glaze until I could watch no more.
This post is likely to offend some, but my hope is to make you take a step back and alter your perspective just a little bit. I kind of wrote this in the few moments I had here and there so bare with me, or skip this post.
First, when are we going to WAKE UP!? How many more lives need to be lost before something is done about the ROOT of the problem. And I'm not talking about metal detectors at the doors of our elementary schools, either. I'm talking about the stigma that still surrounds mental illness and our BROKEN system!
We are failing the mentally ill and their families, FAILING! And as a result, innocent people are dying.
Now, I don't know much about the young man who chose to take nearly 30 lives, including that of his own mother and innocent children, but I'm willing to bet that he gave some warning signs of instability. This is psychopathy! Amoral, antisocial, egocentric, unpredictable, calculated and TERRIFYING! This is the act of a person who felt justified in taking the lives of beautiful, innocent children and adults who gave their own lives to save them.
I urge you to take a deep breath, open your heart and your mind, and read this painfully honest post before you read on.
How are you feeling? Are you angry? Sympathetic? Do you call bullshit? Now, of course I do not know this woman or her family. She absolutely could be lying, over exaggerating, herself mentally unstable, or just trying to capitalize from a horrible tragedy, but I do know this, her voice in this blog post IS that of hundreds if not thousands of mothers across the country.
Their children are sick and they don't know what to do.
Many people don't buy it. They think mental illness is a cop out, an easy card to pull when you just want to get off.; Plead insanity. True, some use mental illness as an excuse, but the truly ill, the clinically insane, they have no choice in the matter.
Have you ever been in the presence of an insane person? Has your life ever been threatened by a 5 year old who just minutes before was running his fingers through the sand and telling you how much he liked you? Have you ever had a conversation with a person suffering from disorganized schizophrenia? Antisocial personality disorder?
I have
Ever spoken to a mother who is in complete denial that her child would harm himself or others...even after hanging the family dog because his video games were taken away?
I have
Do you know someone who's child has ADHD? Autism? Depression? Are they in denial? Are they embarrassed? Do they feel supported? Do they have access to meaningful resources for their family?
Do YOU suffer from depression? Anxiety? A mood disorder? A learning disorder? Are you in denial? Embarrassed? Do you feel supported? Do you know your options?
The sad reality is that mental illness is still vastly misunderstood. When a mother drowns her children because a voice in her head tells her that she must, do you assume she is a monster or believe she is a woman suffering from postpartum psychosis? Of course the cause does not change the outcome, but it is something I think we a a culture must consider doing something about!
People don't just wake up one morning clinically insane, there ARE warning signs. Unfortunately we don't typically hear about them until it is too late.
And it is too late...
*For the record, I am in NO way trying to diminish the unthinkable heartbreak that comes with the untimely death of innocent children and those who gave their lives trying to protect them. I am simply trying to shine a light on mental illness in this country and what can happen when it goes untreated.
I also think it is important to point out that there is a big difference between having say, general anxiety and having antisocial personality disorder, HUGE. Unfortunately they are lumped into the same category, mentally ill. And therefore looked upon the same by insurance companies (good luck getting insurance if you have a history of a "mental disease") employers, family members and the general public who just doesn't understand.
Most people suffering form a mental disorder are NOT a threat to themselves or others, but sadly, some are.
This post is likely to offend some, but my hope is to make you take a step back and alter your perspective just a little bit. I kind of wrote this in the few moments I had here and there so bare with me, or skip this post.
First, when are we going to WAKE UP!? How many more lives need to be lost before something is done about the ROOT of the problem. And I'm not talking about metal detectors at the doors of our elementary schools, either. I'm talking about the stigma that still surrounds mental illness and our BROKEN system!
We are failing the mentally ill and their families, FAILING! And as a result, innocent people are dying.
Now, I don't know much about the young man who chose to take nearly 30 lives, including that of his own mother and innocent children, but I'm willing to bet that he gave some warning signs of instability. This is psychopathy! Amoral, antisocial, egocentric, unpredictable, calculated and TERRIFYING! This is the act of a person who felt justified in taking the lives of beautiful, innocent children and adults who gave their own lives to save them.
I urge you to take a deep breath, open your heart and your mind, and read this painfully honest post before you read on.
How are you feeling? Are you angry? Sympathetic? Do you call bullshit? Now, of course I do not know this woman or her family. She absolutely could be lying, over exaggerating, herself mentally unstable, or just trying to capitalize from a horrible tragedy, but I do know this, her voice in this blog post IS that of hundreds if not thousands of mothers across the country.
Their children are sick and they don't know what to do.
Many people don't buy it. They think mental illness is a cop out, an easy card to pull when you just want to get off.; Plead insanity. True, some use mental illness as an excuse, but the truly ill, the clinically insane, they have no choice in the matter.
Have you ever been in the presence of an insane person? Has your life ever been threatened by a 5 year old who just minutes before was running his fingers through the sand and telling you how much he liked you? Have you ever had a conversation with a person suffering from disorganized schizophrenia? Antisocial personality disorder?
I have
Ever spoken to a mother who is in complete denial that her child would harm himself or others...even after hanging the family dog because his video games were taken away?
I have
Do you know someone who's child has ADHD? Autism? Depression? Are they in denial? Are they embarrassed? Do they feel supported? Do they have access to meaningful resources for their family?
Do YOU suffer from depression? Anxiety? A mood disorder? A learning disorder? Are you in denial? Embarrassed? Do you feel supported? Do you know your options?
The sad reality is that mental illness is still vastly misunderstood. When a mother drowns her children because a voice in her head tells her that she must, do you assume she is a monster or believe she is a woman suffering from postpartum psychosis? Of course the cause does not change the outcome, but it is something I think we a a culture must consider doing something about!
People don't just wake up one morning clinically insane, there ARE warning signs. Unfortunately we don't typically hear about them until it is too late.
And it is too late...
*For the record, I am in NO way trying to diminish the unthinkable heartbreak that comes with the untimely death of innocent children and those who gave their lives trying to protect them. I am simply trying to shine a light on mental illness in this country and what can happen when it goes untreated.
I also think it is important to point out that there is a big difference between having say, general anxiety and having antisocial personality disorder, HUGE. Unfortunately they are lumped into the same category, mentally ill. And therefore looked upon the same by insurance companies (good luck getting insurance if you have a history of a "mental disease") employers, family members and the general public who just doesn't understand.
Most people suffering form a mental disorder are NOT a threat to themselves or others, but sadly, some are.
Awesome post hiip. Here's a local example....So frustrating our legal system and Salinas community members feel the same way. :'(
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ksbw.com/news/central-california/salinas/Salinas-inmate-Christopher-Sorenson-jumps-in-apparent-suicide/-/5738906/17798518/-/5pck7r/-/index.html