Posted on 01/10/2011 6:51:58 PM PST by kristinn
Reporting from Tucson — The parents of Jared Lee Loughner, accused of shooting Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 other people, were huddled in seclusion in their Tucson home Monday night, his father crying and his mother so shaken she could not get out of bed, a neighbor told The Times.
As the sun was beginning to set Monday, Randy Loughner called his neighbor, retired gasoline truck driver Wayne Smith, 70, to ask him to get their mail. Smith, who is not particularly close to the Loughners, grabbed the mail and was invited inside.
"They're in there now," Smith said in a subsequent interview with The Times. "They're both in there crying. He's crying and hanging on to me and she's not even out of bed."
Smith described the Loughners as very private and said they knew few people on their street, although they had lived in the neighborhood since before Jared, 22, was born. He said Jared was their only child. Smith said Loughner's mother, Amy, had a good job with good retirement and pay, and Randy was a stay-at-home dad who liked to work on cars.
"He worshipped the boy," Smith said.
SNIP
All three wept together outside on Saturday. "We stood right out there and cried for an hour. I'm a softie," Smith said. "A man needs compassion. He's broken up about his son, but also about all those people who died."
Smith said the family is intensely private. "The best way I can describe it, they're like a mountain man," he said. "They want to be alone."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
“That would mean about half of all high school students are exhibiting signs of a mental disorder.”
Well, that is some statistic that you have produced there...actually half of all high school students abusing drugs would be really interesting. The surveys in my local school district doesn’t reflect that percentage.
With that said, chronic use of street drugs and alcohol can be first indicator of a much larger social or mental problem. As you have probably heard...drowning the pain. It is particularly problematic in a young person whose personality and body is not fully developed.
Yes, I would say any 15 or 16 year old male that overdosed on alcohol and caused his brain and body to shutdown to the point of dying, was exhibiting some pretty serious psychological problems.
Alcohol poisoning, if you survive, can cause brain and/or neurological damage.
“The real point is that a Parent that was paying attention all the child’s life would not have let this illness progress unchecked to this sad circumstance.”
Really? You might want to read this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/news/story?id=4964740
I’m guessing from your posts that you are part of the “pray it out of him” brigade that always shows up when mental illness is mentioned. Well, the parents in the story tried that too; didn’t work out so well.
>>Parents should share the blame. They and the sheriff knew he was nuts.
I think the problem is that the sheriff could have done something about it.
It doesn't cause schizophrenia.
I'll yield to obvious experts that profess to understand the mysterious workings of the human mind.
I'm glad you have a good handle on all these nuts that nobody will ever crack!
I'll remember that the next time I see the bag lady pushing her cart along the street and talking to the lampposts. She will always be beyond your help, so who cares!
If the mother is a public employee, then her union-negotiated medical benefits would have certainly included her minor children until 18, or 21 if in college. If there is no record of treatment, which is why slimeball was able to purchase a gun, then I question the reasoning of the mother in not seeking medical/psychological treatment or counseling for her son - was hubby not large enough to have been able to compell attendance by said son, especially after having been alerted to the problem in the most direct way possible by the junior college son was attending?
That is quite an unhinged rant. Completely disconnected from anything I said to you.
I’m sure you speak in kindness, but you are ignorant of mental illness, which is real, is physical, and is NOT caused by parental neglect.
All the good and caring parenting in the world cannot prevent or treat someone who is bipolar or schizophrenic. Sometimes family members can talk their loved one into seeking treatment, but often not.
The greatest irony of mental illness is that often the patient feels better without treatment but acts normally only when treatment brings him down to earth. Reality isn’t fun.
The mentally ill can be forced into treatment only if they are judged by the courts to be a danger to themselves or others, and they are often able to convince the judge otherwise. Even after involuntary admission, the state can hold them only until they are deemed to be in their right mind, which can be a matter of days.
All of us wish someone had managed to get this guy off the streets. However, we’re not yet to the point in America where we lock people up just for being creepy.
I think the report that he worked for Child Protective Services job was a lame attempt at a joke.
I read that he worked at one time for animal control.
To FORCE a schizophrenic includes a literal use of the word, “force”—and that force—in my experience—comes down to being physical. They live in another world, totally.
If the subject is an adult that force would be assault and battery no matter how nutty they are. That includes their parents.
There is at least one fairly recent photo of Loughner working at a literacy event, running a crossword game. These events are typically done by municipal or county governments and often social services.
So, no, I don't think it was a joke.
You would be wrong! I haven't been in a Church in 25 years.
I believe in understanding and guiding children through life. I refuse to believe that this crazy kid didn't show signs of being withdrawn and antisocial for a very long time. His parents obviously contributed to that.
It is like President Obama claiming that he never knew that the Reverend Wright was a racist scumbag. The only answer is they both are, so President Obama thought nothing of it.
The parents didn't help the child because they are obviously just at warped.
“It doesn’t cause schizophrenia.”
I didn’t realize that I had mentioned schizophrenia at any time in this discussion. As a matter of fact, if you go through my posts, I haven’t said a word about schizophrenia.
However, since you mentioned it, schizophrenics have been known to abuse drugs and alcohol.
Yes, you refuse to believe the well established facts of schizophrenic disorders. Not very rational of you.
Yes. I imagine that such force would usually occur in some aspect of self-defense. The police, however, seem to be essential in any “help” given to schizo’s.
“I have a relative...”
Tried to kill her gentle, supportive mother...
“Long story short:” Police were essential.
I did find on online gaming site where they were totally convinced that the perp had been a regular visitor. This belief was expressed by multiple people on the site. I mention it here because I have not seen it mentioned elsewhere on FR.
Which is quite the opposite of being the cause isn't it? I mentioned schizophrenia a number of times and so have numerous others. It is quite obvious that it is the most likely problem Loughner has.
Can you imagine conservative parents being written about so lovingly after their son killed 6 people?
BTW, the father sounds like a bum to me instead of a stay at home dad (his kid is 22!).
True, but even they can't force a person to accept treatment for anything but a very short period of time. That is the law that the libs forced on this country about thirty years ago.
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