Yesterday, our country experienced a great tragedy. We lost future doctors, parents, artists, teachers, friends, innovators. We lost lives that made the lives of others complete. My heart goes out to those families and everyone who has been affected. They can never be replaced, and they will never be forgotten.
I am feeling what most people are. I am furious. I am livid. I want to take action. I simply cannot wrap my head around how someone could do that to innocent children, and I am glad that I can't. But last night, I needed answers. After putting the kids I nanny for to bed, I started reading every news article on the first 20 pages of Google News. When I look at my kids, all I want to do is love them and play with them and keep them safe and happy and oblivious to the horror that lies outside the safety of what they know.
During my frantic reading through news articles from across the country, I noticed a disturbing trend. The "cause" for this sickening act of violence is apparently mental illness. This is because he was odd, maybe had schizophrenia, or Asperger's or OCD. And, as this article discussion board states, he quite possibly had bipolar disorder, and, as we all know, people with mood disorders are a danger to themselves and everyone around them.
That is the answer that the media is feeding the public?! That mentally ill people are dangerous, violent psychopaths who can shoot down innocent children?! There is already a massive stigma that surrounds mental illness. People are discriminated against in the workplace, by their peers, and by insurance providers, just to name a few. We are thought of as crazy, dangerous, unstable, undependable, irresponsible, and scary. How do we expect people to go get the help they need if doing so means that they will have to carry around these stereotypes?
Maybe the gunman did have a mental illness that he wasn't addressing. Maybe this wouldn't have happened had he gotten help. But if that is so, the problem isn't that mental illness is dangerous. The problem is that he was able to get a gun easier than he was able to get help for his potential illness. We will never know for sure what he had, if anything, so let's not scare the public into believing such disorders are dangerous and let's not shame them into not getting the help they need.
Extensive research has been done to prove that those with mental illness, even severe disorders, are no more dangerous than the average person. SAMHSA has put out an amazing spreadsheet with statistics, facts, and research results proving that point. Dr. Grohol dispelled this myth with his study years ago in this paper. These are just a few of the scientifically credible resources that vehemently disagree with what the media frenzy profits off of. Basically, what is important to know is that the triggers for violence are the same among those with mental health issues and those without. These include drugs, alcohol, or coming from an abusive background.
I am not saying that we should drop mental health out of the discussion entirely. Just the opposite. I am saying that we should talk about it, but not in a way that alienates those who need the help. Instead of trying to diagnose a man who is dead, bring professionals in to talk to the children who have experienced more trauma than most of us can even imagine. Provide the parents who have lost a child with the resources necessary on how to cope in a way that is not harmful to themselves. Let everyone know where the resources in the community are. And if they aren't there, create them. They are needed.
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