Posted on 07/20/2012 3:43:35 PM PDT by Prospero
As a classic case of national hysteria slowly peaks, still within 24 hours after the massacre of theater-patrons attending a premier of the latest "Batman" thriller in Aurora, Colorado, it's become increasingly difficult to maintain a rational perspective.
Apparently without any shame whatsoever, an embattled White House still cannot hesitate to push itself out in front of the trickle of information coming out in the wake of these multiple murders.
That as many or more people will die in "random" shootings on the streets of major U.S. cities, Chicago in particular, on an average weekend, this July, still escapes the notice of our entertainment news-readers and other media.
Without any other obvious motive, however, and looking dispassionately for the most reasonable known pattern that fits the facts known at this hour about this massacre, and its lone perpetrator, I think it will eventually be determined that Mr. Holmes suffers from hereditary schizophrenia.
The vast majority of the organic types of that disease are males, often regarded as highly intelligent, and who rarely begin showing the first truly "full-blown" symptoms of such a disease until just prior to their 25th birthday.
Elaborate and fantastic delusions, resembling a nightmarish dream-state, that usually accompany the full, untreated symptoms of this very terrible disease are often so compelling, and build so slowly (and its sufferers often have such credibility or, in many cases, demonstrate such charisma) that loved ones and friends rarely catch on to their true state of mind until they disappear, or it is otherwise "too late."
Though the frightening episodes accompanying this disease very rarely strike such a responsive chord in national news cycles they are almost always devastating, inside a much smaller circle. Usually destroying families and friendships.
So far. at least, Mr. Holmes outrageous demonstration of the apparent symptoms of this disease, or another illness in the same family, still seems quite within a regular pattern, as horrific as that might seem to those who are unfamiliar with schizophrenia.
The reactions of the national news industry, in the immediate short term, and those of his victims, to this intrusion of the symptoms of a classic mental illness, is quite understandable.
Few are unfortunate enough to ever experience becoming drawn into the damaged circle of a schizophrenic's broken thinking, over our lifetimes.
This does not mean, however, that schizophrenia is unknown to law enforcement, competent political leadership, or the health establishment. Far from it.
For a White House, or the mayor of a large city elsewhere, to take such full and shameless political opportunity from a the short-term trauma and shock to the national peace and loss of perspective is nothing short of criminal.
As this president operates within his own diseased pattern of not allowing any tragedy to go to waste, over the course of the next few hours, before the situation elsewhere, likely Syria, distracts his fawning, ignorant fan base in the national media, keep these thoughts in mind.
Citation please. I really want to see this new research you speak of.
I have reviewed every single research paper on Cannabis that was issued up until few months ago. To date, there was no conclusive evidence that it causes any damage to any part of the body. There was no conclusive evidence that it causes any permanent changes at all. This is true even when it is abused beyond all reason. There is no possible toxic or dangerous dose for cannabis.
Alcohol, on the other hand, is 100% proven and guaranteed to cause permanent damage to every organ of the body when abused. We usually don't see the full extent of damage because a failed liver or alcohol poisoning claims most alcoholics before everything else has a chance to rot.
Thank you for this post.
We closed most of the mental health hospitals back in the late 70s, early 80s, thanks to the bleeding hearts who decided they were cruel.
So those with serious mental health problems now live on the streets, go off their meds, and break their families’ hearts.
And some can be very dangerous to others when unmedicated. I suspect this young man was suffering from schizophrenia, which develops at about his age. His poor mother - she may have known, but been unable to convince medical authorities.
Some schizophrenics are able to hide their illness very well, until the delusions take over completely.
Well done, thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
you are correct.
It is not easy when this topic comes up to hear the obscene rantings of those who do not understand mental illness.
I wonder if they have any idea of how many people are sitting with them in church or at work that are functioning well in society because of medications for depression, anxiety, etc. Those very family members, neighbors and co workers, or their fellow church members just 60 years ago might be in a hideous state asylum or ‘attic” forever.
You have way more patience for their ignorance and nasty comments than I do.
As for not being able to ‘force’ people to take medications or be hospitalized for longer times....well, we pay a high price for our freedoms, but I wouldn’t trade our system for any other.
As to those who say “This is just evil, not mental illness!”...well, we will see as more information is given. there is a difference.
As for all those who decry the American right to bear arms...well, we have the recent case in Europe where the guy with political evil intent shot young people at a camp.
and that country had the strictest gun laws.
I bet he’s another case of schizophrenia induced by smoking pot.
God gave us doctors and medicine and helpers.
Let us not go back to mideval times when we thought mentally ill people were “possessed” or “the sins of the father are visited on the children”.
We do not know yet what was the reason for this tragedy. It could very well be one of the rare violent episodes of a paranoid schizophrenics or it could be of a political group that has taken advantage of a disturbed person.
the statistics btw, on mass murders has not changed in decades.
I re-re-read the original post, Prospero.
Choir, meet Preacher.
My take also, is that I hope this won’t be setting up the Hinckley Defense for the perp. The next span of days will show if there is anything more than a lone whacko gunman involved...
So - that they are ‘snarky comments’ applied to a ‘schizophrenic’ will carry more weight once it is determined that he is, truly, schizophrenic and not just a cold-blooded killer. Nothing posted here links, absolutely, this killer with schizophrenia. Maybe the Defense Lawyer is just buttering the public up by putting out the suggestion that he is, or linking the two in time in the press. I’m not buying it until I hear a whole lot more facts.
Nasty things, facts.
You’re more likely to be correct. Some personality disorder. Drugs, I’m hearing too, fueled it. If he had true Schizophrenia it’s damn near impossible to contemplate that he’d be able to pull off such a well-executed operation. Their minds are just too disordered for these intricate operations. Some serious mental defects in play to be sure, but not what’s being tossed around here.
I don’t think there’s any evidence so far that he’s schizophrenic or has any other illness. We’ve just been having a discussion. I think it’s possible that this guy turns out to be a psych like the Tucson and Virginia Tech shooters, but so far it’s just a theory tossed around on an internet message board. Nothing wrong with speculation.
In fact, we need some informed discussion of how we fail to remove the dangerously mentally ill from our midst. They are more dangerous any day than an inert firearm, but it’s touchy to discuss limiting the civil liberties of someone who is scary but who has, as yet, not committed a crime.
Did his defense lawyer suggest schizophrenia? I missed it if he did.
“That as many or more people will die in “random” shootings on the streets of major U.S. cities, Chicago in particular, on an average weekend, this July, still escapes the notice of our entertainment news-readers and other media.”
That can’t be used to further their agenda.
That’s what I was thinking. Hard to tell from the sketchy information, but it could be paranoid schizophrenia. Higher functioning than other schizophrenia flavors. Also, more prone to violence. Paranoid schizophrenics are less likely to be affected by mood problems or problems with thinking, concentration and attention.
Time will tell.
My mother is one of these. Of course, this cry is coming mostly from women, who are inherently more safety and protection-oriented.
But the answer is that we can't and shouldn't do anything about this, other than doing what we should have been doing all along - being aware of our surroundings and suspicious of suspicious people. And acting accordingly.
I witnessed this in 2 men in different units I served in my years as an Army chaplain.
One donned all the paraphernalia of a delta force soldier and began stalking others one night. Full blown adult-onset schizophrenia ended up as the diagnosis. He really thought he was on a mission.
Another was an SFC who heard angels in a tree telling him to take over a baptist church down the road from his house. Same thing.
It is real, and I’ve witnessed it. These guys went off their rockers. One dangerous but contained and the other not dangerous but just as looney. In the absence of any other explanation that comes out, this is an excellent starting point.
It is important to undertsand the reasons for things- not to excuse them, but to help prevent them in the future. I have known a bunch of people with schizophrenia. They become truly frightening when they are off their meds. Won’t go into details, but at least one of them I know became violent when off his meds. Others became extremely paranoid and angry, and luckily got help before becoming violent. One of them I had to confront to get help, and he did. I imagine the worst thing is when it first manifests, usually in young life.
My gut tells me he is the classic example of a nerd, kind of a loner, probably heavily into fantasy and role playing, who got attention and was accepted into a group like OWSers.
He no doubt had some kind of mental disorder. He was a lefty afterall.
“However, if he was, betcha his family knew it and were powerless to intervene.”
Chose NOT to intervene.
Can you have a severe mental illness and still get a degree in neuroscience? I’m going with evil. Of course, he will probably be deemed not guilty by reason of insanity, spend a few years in a mental hospital, and be released. I do feel for his family, though.
Well, there was a time; when these ‘ill’, could find respite in a mental hospital. Jimmy Carter, fixed that, however. (As he ‘fixed’ so many things, for America.)
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