Half my family is on the “fuzzy edge” of the autism spectrum. Not one has ever gone on any kind of violent spree.
But, heaven forbid that anything should keep the armchair psychologists from spouting their untrained analysis.
See post 79 -
There are many people with mental issues in good families and environments that are fine. I am not a mental health professional, but I do have 2 decades law enforcement (much of that major crimes investigations) and have several family members and close friends that are PhD psychologists. I have read quite a bit about mental illness and have discussed the topic at length for many different types and sat through more lengthy court hearings than you can imagine.
I think it is very healthy (and overdue) to have a conversation about mental illness and recognize that each situation is different and many factors are responsible for failures. People should not make sweeping generalizations about mental illness nor should people become defensive or angry about the discussion.
Sadly, too many politicians, talking heads, and FReepers misdirect the conversation to gun control when the underlying problem is mental illness that was not effectively treated. We need to respect individual rights and be able to respond to situations like the Aurora shooter who told his counselor what he was thinking of doing. We need to find the best balance we can... when a person with serious problems tells a counselor they are thinking of harming others they should be hospitalized until the episode passes. Based on my experiences those who are severely impacted by mental illness are never consistent and have good periods and bad periods. That is why treating severe mental illness with the same dosage and type of psychotropic drug is not always effective because it does not address the fluctuations of symptoms. It is also important to discuss the impact of long term dosing on the brain and I do believe in many cases there are permanent changes in brain function and chemistry. We need to recognize the impact of illegal drugs and drug abuse in combination with psychotropic drugs and mental illness.
It’s an overdue conversation for our nation and IT SHOULD NOT belittle persons with mental illness. Like many societal ills we need to ask if the status quo is preserved to protect the interest of big business/government over those we are supposed to help.