Mental health reform must be discussed
The Grand Island IndependentFeb 24, 2018
I've been to a therapist twice in my life. The first time was 36 years ago when I was 20, and mourning the recent death of my father. The grief was heavy and unrelenting. It was the first time I'd experienced a loss of this nature, and I wasn't prepared for its weight. The psychiatrist literally saved my life with his pragmatic, grandfatherly wisdom. And when I asked him for drugs to dull the pain, he wrote me a prescription for Bayer aspirin.
The second time was three years ago, when my mother died. The three decades of distance between my parents' deaths hadn't improved my ability to deal with intense mourning, and I found myself dissolving into sobs at odd moments, so I consulted with a psychologist who taught me how to breathe and find that still place within me.
And that's it. I've never gone back for professional help, and have chosen to deal with my problems on my own. Clearly, I am not someone that could be classified as "mentally ill," even though my contact with the mental health system would be of interest to the FBI if I were ever being vetted for a position with the federal government, and I have to disclose this information on some forms and applications for benefits.
I don't mind. While there is still a stigma attached to anything related to mental health, it's much better than it used to be when we warehoused people for what today would be diagnosed as depression. I have known and loved people, who have suffered from mental illness, and I hesitate to do anything that would perpetuate a stigma that was undeserved and caused untold, permanent damage to both the afflicted and their families.
But I also realize that ignoring the role that mental illness has played in the increasing and deadly incidents of gun violence is as damaging as our antiquated views of the disease, in all of its variations and degrees.
I came to this conclusion after
Someone in
When
It's true that the vast majority of those who suffer from mental illness are not dangerous. But I also know that it's wrong to ignore the thin but powerful thread connecting people with mental illness to a lack of impulse control, and the dangers created when they have unlimited access to weapons. Even though President
We Americans are extremely sensitive to our fundamental rights. But as
Mental illness should not be stigmatized. But neither should we ignore its role in the death of innocents.