Mental Health Care

[Cthulhu]

I would like to thank those in this thread for an interesting discussion.

It doesn't happen very often.

Thank you all.

Sent from my evil, puppy-munching cellphone.

[Tricia]

I would like to thank those in this thread for an interesting discussion.

It doesn't happen very often.h

Thank you all.

Sent from my evil, puppy-munching cellphone.

This has been an excellent thread! And thanks to @Green Arrow for the topic!

[IMPress Polly]

On the original subject...the question of how we might prevent social violence, and gun violence in particular, by better addressing mental illness...(sorry, this has been the first chance I've gotten to catch up on this thread since Wednesday)...I thought it might be worthwhile to bring up an interview I saw on CNN in 2013, when gun violence was a major topic of national debate. They interviewed a prisoner who had shot and killed his parents for about 45 minutes on the subject of what motivated him to do so. He was very repentant about his actions and took ownership of them, but the interviewer wanted to know what factors had pushed him in that direction in the first place, as this sort of thing was the subject of a major national debate at the time. He shared his personal story at considerable length. In the course of so doing, six factors were mentioned more than passingly as things that he felt had helped him make the decision to shoot and kill his parents. These factors were:

-mental illness <-- I forget what he said he had at this point though.
-child abuse
-school bullying
-social isolation
-self-therapy of saturation with ultra-violent entertainment
-ready access to guns

He also added that had he had access to more dangerous weaponry, like an assault rifle for example, he'd probably have done something even worse, like shooting up the nearest public venue. More broadly though, he couldn't really single out one factor that he thought was more decisive than the others. He thought they were all equally important and that society should address all of them. At present, I would say that we as a society are taking only two of those things seriously: child abuse and school bullying (and that latter beginning only in the last few years). The rest we seem content to largely ignore.

Just thought I'd mention it, as it seemed like it might be pertinent to this conversation.

[Crepitus]

On the original subject...the question of how we might prevent social violence, and gun violence in particular, by better addressing mental illness...(sorry, this has been the first chance I've gotten to catch up on this thread since Wednesday)...I thought it might be worthwhile to bring up an interview I saw on CNN in 2013, when gun violence was a major topic of national debate. They interviewed a prisoner who had shot and killed his parents for about 45 minutes on the subject of what motivated him to do so. He was very repentant about his actions and took ownership of them, but the interviewer wanted to know what factors had pushed him in that direction in the first place, as this sort of thing was the subject of a major national debate at the time. He shared his personal story at considerable length. In the course of so doing, six factors were mentioned more than passingly as things that he felt had helped him make the decision to shoot and kill his parents. These factors were:

-mental illness <-- I forget what he said he had at this point though.
-child abuse
-school bullying
-social isolation
-self-therapy of saturation with ultra-violent entertainment
-ready access to guns

He also added that had he had access to more dangerous weaponry, like an assault rifle for example, he'd probably have done something even worse, like shooting up the nearest public venue. More broadly though, he couldn't really single out one factor that he thought was more decisive than the others. He thought they were all equally important and that society should address all of them. At present, I would say that we as a society are taking only two of those things seriously: child abuse and school bullying (and that latter beginning only in the last few years). The rest we seem content to largely ignore.

Just thought I'd mention it, as it seemed like it might be pertinent to this conversation.

Pretty sure I read somewhere that something like 25% of serial killers and mass murderers were on the autism spectrum.

I think the others are fairly obvious and self explanatory.

One thing I don't see in you list is traumatic head injury and I'm pretty sure I've seen that referenced as well.

[Hal Jordan]

I should probably get diagnosed at some point. But that would cost money I don't have... I would like to truly understand my issues, though...

[PolWatch]

Community mental health centers operate on a sliding scale based on income. Unfortunately, resources are stretched so thin that scheduling an appointment is not for the impatient. They are forced to concentrate on crisis intervention more than crisis prevention.

[Hal Jordan]

Well, I am impatient, and I know it's not vital that I get diagnosed, so I'd rather leave that resource for those that need it more.

[PolWatch]

Sometimes different community agencies offer less structured help. Check with you local mental health association and see what is available in your area. Many churches & community centers offer 12 step type programs for more than alcohol/drug abuse problems.