Mass shootings have been in the forefront of the news
regularly for years. As a result, the mental health system in America has been
questioned. Going back to the Columbine school shooting in 1999, and now the
most recent Newtown, Aurora, and Tucson shootings, the mental health of
shooters has become a pressing issue.
However, the issue at hand is not the mere reality of mental
illness within America. With an estimated 26.2 percent of adult Americans
suffering from mental illness, it should be something regularly treated, widely
accepted, and properly funded. Many families and adults find it incredibly
difficult to find treatment, if they even seek help.
In the most recent school shooting, Adam Lanza killed his own
mother and then 20 children and six teachers at a local elementary school.
Although his mental health history remains unknown, it follows a similar
pattern of the shootings within the last few years. In 2007, Seung Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded
17 people in Virginia. He had a long, documented history of mental illness,
including being diagnosed with severe social anxiety disorder. In 2011, Jared
Loughner opened fire in Tucson, killing 6 and wounding 19. He had previously
been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression. Just a few months ago in July
2012, James Holmes killed 12 and injured 58 in a movie theater in Colorado and
has been described as mentally ill by his defense attorney.
Shooters from the Aurora and Tucson shootings, respectively, suspected of having mental illness.
All of these cases of mental illness and violence bring up
the issue of treatment of mental health in America, but also create a negative
stigma for all people suffering from mental illness. Most people suffering from
mental illness do not have homicidal tendencies and are usually only a direct
threat to themselves. However, with the negative stigma surrounding mental
illness and the lack of treatment centers, many suffering will never seek help.
When those suffering do not seek help, they can have trouble holding a job,
maintaining a place to live, and ultimately become a threat to themselves or
others.
This vicious cycle is the basis of the mental health issue
within the United States. If more people accepted mental illness as a part of
every society, and realized it is something that people have no control over,
but can be treated through therapy and medication, the negative stigma would
dissipate and more people would seek treatment. In addition to changing the
general attitudes, mental health groups agree that in order to help the issue
at hand community mental health services need to double their capacity,
school-based programs need to be improved, and children and student need to be
educated in how to recognize the signs of mental illness and how to seek help. Immediately, the issue could begin to be helped if young people began to change their attitudes towards mental health and understood its importance.
I really liked this! i feel like i connected with the story and gained better knowledge about what was being said!
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ReplyDeleteTo add to what I said, I thought this was very enjoyable to read. I totally agree with what is being said here and I agree with your statement when you talked about how most people with Mental Illnesses do not have homicidal tendencies. I feel like a lot of people put that title onto people with mental illnesses and it could be something completely different. I really like where you are heading with this and I would just suggest to keep your audience in mind and address the other side a little bit and rebut it to make your point.
ReplyDeleteKelsey Pollard
Thank you! I really appreciate your suggestions. I think the fact that there have been recent incidences where people with mental illnesses have become homicidal creates the need for the negative stigma to be confronted even more; the general public needs to understand that a very small percentage of people with mental illness have any sort of homicidal tendencies. On the flip side, those with violent tendencies need to have easier access to treatment in order to control that and prevent any more incidents.
DeleteThis is very well written. I think it is good that you used so much evidence and examples to back up your points. I also believe that some reasons for certain incidents that have happened is partly because of their mental health.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I completely agree with you on the fact that most people with mental illnesses have major problems because of others opinions toward them. I fell as though others may have only a small impact toward their issues.
However, I did like your post in all. I though it was very well written and neatly put together.
People with mental illness are probably not affected daily by people's attitudes, but as a society the negative stigma does affect the people suffering. The media and movies portray mental illness and something that creates a monster, and that view is completely false and makes people who do have issues more likely to resist help and turn to substance abuse or violence. Thank you though!
DeleteThis was a very thought-provoking post. Whenever I hear about tragedies like these shootings, I wonder how the outcome could have changed if the shooter had more help with his mental illness. Your examples were chilling, and really resonated with me because they are such recent tragedies. The images were also very effective, especially with the perspective that these people could have received help. I think you have a good argument, but I would have liked to hear more about why it is so hard to find help with a mental illness. I'm not sure I understand why people who seek help often can't find it. Very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteSophie Roberts
Thank you! It is hard for people suffering to find help because there is a lack of mental health facilities due to budget cuts. In addition, treatment is often so expensive, families cannot afford it even if it is available to them. Mental health groups agree that mental health facilities in smaller communities need to be made available, amongst many other reforms, in order for people to have easier access.
DeleteThis is a very interesting point. I think that mental illness definitely has a bad connotation in our society. I never really thought about how unfortunate that is until I read your post. It is easy to think of people with mental conditions as disturbed and dangerous because that is how the media portrays it. In the news following tragic events, such as school shootings, the suspect is often expected to have some kind of mental issues, creating a sort of stereotype that suggest that no healthy person possibly do such a thing. Even in movies there seems to rarely be a character that is both mentally ill and innocent. They are almost always depicted as scary, unpredictable individuals. In reality, though, most handicapped people are good-hearted and kind. I can see how such a negative attitude towards mental illness could prevent someone from seeking help. Are there any other obstacles surrounding the mental health system such as availability of resources? Are the methods of treatment not as effective as they should be?
ReplyDeleteI agree, I didn't realize how the stigma affected my attitude towards mental illness until I began research for this topic. I went into my research with the Adam Lanza story in mind, thinking all shooters were mentally ill and all mentally ill people were dangerous. However, this attitude that the general public shares is what is truly dangerous. In addition to this obstacle, there is a lack of resources for people seeking help. Many mental health institutions have faced drastic budget cuts and it is hard for most families to afford them if they are available. Mental health reforms on many levels need to be enacted in order to solve this issue.
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