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Untie the Myths: Shootings and Mental Illness do not go Hand in Hand

19 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by A Journey With You in caregivers, mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

asylums, bipolar, firearms, guns, hospitals, mass shootings, mental health, mental illness, mental institutions, mentally ill, schizophrenia]

In the weeks since the school shooting in Florida at Stoneman Douglas, we are once again talking about mental health and the treatment of people with mental illness. President Trump has called for more mental institutions, as one of his solutions to the problem of mass shootings. And last week, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, said that communities need to have the option of involuntarily committing mentally ill people to reduce crime.

As someone with paranoid schizophrenia, who could be impacted by sweeping law and policy changes, what do I think about these two powerful men and their statements? I think they are both right in their proposals, but the information or assertions that lead to these proposals are inaccurate, based on faulty reasoning, reactionary, and wrong.

President Trump is correct that we need more long-term psychiatric beds in every state in the union. According to The Treatment Advocacy Center in 1955, there were 558,239 psychiatric beds in the United States, and as of 2016, there were 37,679. What does this mean? It means people who are experiencing a mental health crisis may not find a bed, or they may go on a waiting list that has them waiting as long as a month or more for the type of treatment they need.

Attorney General Jeff Session is correct that we need a better system to get people into hospitals. Under the current system, a person must be a danger to themselves or others to be involuntarily committed. As someone who has been psychotic, and in need of treatment that I did not trust (due to paranoia), and I lacked insight into my condition based on a symptom called anosognosia. An involuntary commitment would have helped me get the treatment I needed much faster. When someone is psychotic the length of time that they are psychotic matters regarding recovery, treatment, and the likelihood of future episodes. In other words, the sooner someone gets treatment, the better.

So, all is well in Washington DC regarding attitudes towards mental health? Right? Wrong. The fact that a mass shooting led to these proposals is troubling at the least and harmful at worst. The statistics do not back up either one of these responses to gun violence. According to the American Mental Health Counselors Association, only 3 to 5 percent of all violence (including firearm violence) is tied to severe mental illness. In the same article, on their website, AMHCA reports that people with severe mental illness are twelve times more likely to be the victims of violence (including firearm violence) than the general population.

It is easy to blame the mentally ill it is a simple and clean and for most people, perfectly sensible cause of violence. But it isn’t truthful, and the number of people those myths hurt is on the rise every year. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) one if five American adults will experience a mental illness, and ten million adults in America live with a serious mental illness. So, are these repeated stereotypes about mental illness and violence hurting someone? Yes, they are hurting a large portion of the adult population in America. They are keeping people from treatment (don’t want to admit I have a mental illness) and keeping people from jobs (people don’t want to hire someone who they believe (although inaccurately) is prone to violence).

We need solutions to mass shootings in America. We also need solutions to mental health in America, but the two things are a separate conversation and tying them together destroys life and productivity; it costs our society and individuals way too much. It’s time to get serious and untie the myths so we can make room for change.

 

 

Something to Blame: The Latest on Gun Violence

16 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by A Journey With You in bipolar, caregivers, mental illness, schizophrenia, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

gun violence, guns, mass shooting, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, NRA, schizophrenia], school shooting, shooting

I’m exhausted, simply exhausted with all the talk about mental health and mental illness after the latest school shooting. I had to say something. I posted this on Facebook yesterday:

I know they need something to blame. It is easy to make monsters out of the marginalized because Hollywood has been doing it without consequence for years. It is easier to point the finger at the most vulnerable than to accept the real issue.

Everyone would agree that a mass shooter is a monster but monster is not equal to mentally ill, and it’s time to stop trying to make people believe that it is, because that it is such an easy, quick, acceptable answer to so many.

Once again, the unspeakable has happened, this time, it was children, at school. It has been children at school before. It has also been a movie theater, concerts, nightclubs. Mass shootings, it is one of the most terrifying, heart-wrenching, dark sides of American culture.

All morning I have listened to politicians (including the President), sheriffs, governors, and governor-hopefuls, talk about mental illness. If only we could keep the mentally ill from getting guns. If only we could keep guns out of the wrong hands.

One in four Americans has a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. If we are going to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, then one out of four Americans would be unable to purchase a firearm. Keeping guns out of that many people’s hands doesn’t bother me in the least. That would be a good choice, but it still won’t end mass shootings, because mental illness isn’t what ties most of these shootings to one another.

What do most of the shooters have in common? They are men. They are white. They have a history of violence (not necessarily a mental illness). And some of the most recent have ties to white supremacy. How do we keep guns from their hands?

I would gladly give up my right to own a gun, that doesn’t bother me at all, but equating mental illness to monsters is a cliché that is going to end in more deaths because it’s the plot of a horror movie and not the cause of what is killing Americans.

 

Facebook Statuses I Would Like To See In 2030

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by A Journey With You in bipolar, hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma, Uncategorized, writing

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

bipolar, change, cure, depression, drugs, elderly, Facebook, future, guns, homeless, hope, hospitals, inspiration, Internet, medication, mental illness, mentally ill, police, prison, schizophrenia], social media, writer, writing

Facebook status updates I want to see in 2030:

“The state psychiatric facilities are being turned into retirement centers for the elderly. Of course, they’ll add golf, swimming pools, and restaurants.”

“The United States no longer has the highest number of people in prison. Since a cure has been found for so many mental illnesses, the number of inmates has dropped to less than half of previous numbers.”

“Back in 2016, there were thousands of homeless people in the United States. Now all we see are people backpacking around from city to city – travelers have replaced the homeless.”

“Can you imagine what it was like in 2016 when people could buy weapons on the Internet? It must have been terrifying!”

“Can you believe there was a time when some people couldn’t afford their medical treatment? Barbaric!”

“My grandparents had to choose between groceries and medication! How could anyone allow that? Terrible!”

“My parents said when they were younger, that some people didn’t vote! Can you imagine that?”

“It is so nice to see our military rebuilding all our roads and bridges.”

“My mom said the police used to respond to calls regarding the mentally ill. Say what?”

“I heard people used to make fun of mental illness. Wow! Seriously, messed up.”

“There were hate groups in 2016. Damn, I’m glad I live in 2030!”

“Previous generations nearly destroyed our planet. It is a good thing the world came together and made some changes.”

“I read a book today about life in 2016. Man, have we come a long way!”

“I got my shot today. I no longer have schizophrenia.”

 

The Cost Of Terror

14 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in travel, writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

9/11, airlines, guns, paris, past, schizophrenia, shootings, terror, terrorism, terrorist, travel, vaction, violence, war, writing

This morning schizophrenia doesn’t seem like such a big topic. It doesn’t seem quite as pressing as usual. It certainly isn’t on the forefront of my mind.

I am thinking of Paris. I am thinking of all those innocent people who lost their lives and how their families are grieving and how the witnesses will probably suffer psychological disturbances for the rest of their lives.

I am thinking there was a time when I used to say, “Mom, I’m going to ride my bike,” and I would be outside until my mother blew a whistle to call all four of her children in.

I am thinking of a time when I went door to door by myself, in neighborhoods that were not my own, and sold Girl Scout Cookies.

I am thinking about a time when I walked to school and back home again, or walked several miles to a friend’s house.

I am thinking of a time when schools didn’t have metal detectors.

I am thinking of a time when flying on a plane was unusual, and most of the people I knew had never done it.

I am thinking about a time when going to another country was exotic not something people did for business or their annual vacation.

I am thinking of a time when I had never heard of the word terrorist.

I am thinking of a time when we were not at war.

I am thinking of a time when murder wasn’t on the nightly news.

I am thinking of a time when we owned bb guns and had never heard of an AK47.

I am thinking of a time when I was so excited to go to a baseball game or a move theater and my safety never occurred to me.

I am thinking of a time when the only monsters I knew of were under my bed or in my closet, but would disappear as soon as my parents or brothers turned on the lights.

I am thinking of the loss of innocence and how we never get it back again.

I am thinking of all the murders we have to try and live with on a daily basis. How much terror is too much terror? What will happen to us if as adults we can no longer grieve the sheer number of those murdered? Will it destroy our hearts?

An Active Shooter: You Never Think It Will Happen To You

05 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in mental illness, schizophrenia

≈ 54 Comments

Tags

america, crime, domestic violence, guns, medication, mental illness, mentally ill, police, schizophrenia, shooter, violence

I heard gunshots yesterday morning at about 9. I got down on the floor and stayed there for a while. After several minutes of silence and sirens I made my way to the window. I could see the police blocking off the streets. My neighbors were outside beneath my window. I heard more sirens.

I called my husband at work and said, “I don’t know what is happening but I am okay. There were gunshots and now the police are blocking off the street.”  We talked for a minute and then we hung up.

I looked out the window again, and my neighbors were gathered and talking on the street. I decided to put on some jeans, go downstairs, and ask my neighbors what was going on. I headed out my condo door.

On the street, I joined a group of my neighbors. “Did that wake you up?” One of my neighbors asked.

“No, I’ve been up for hours.” I said.

“There is a shooter somewhere.” One of my neighbors said.

“I am going back in. It probably isn’t safe on the street.” I said and headed back toward the front door.

When I got back upstairs I heard the police tell everyone to get inside, “Now!”

I heard more gunfire.

I went into the back bathroom of my house with my tablet and cellphone. I called my husband. I told him I was hiding in the bathroom. He looked up the news and told me there was an active shooter in our neighborhood. While I was talking to him I could hear rapid gunfire. I told my husband the neighborhood was blocked off completely and not to come home. I said, “It is dangerous here, don’t come.”

My husband had to go to a meeting, so I called my mom and then my dad. While I was talking to my mom I heard men on the roof of my building. I heard loud voices and banging. I hung up the phone and walked into the closest to see if I could hear what the people somewhere in my building were saying.

The banging got louder. I heard people yelling, “Police! Open up!”

I crept into the front room and went to the front door. I opened it slightly, and there were about ten to fifteen officers in my hallway. One of them said, “Come here, right now.”

“Can I lock my door? Can I get my keys?” I asked.

They told me no, so I went down the hall to them in my bare feet and with my door open. I was terrified. I told one of the officers, “I have a mental illness.”

The officer shouted, “Wait, we have someone here with a mental illness!”

My neighbor, who was also in the hallway said, “Who has a mental illness?”

The officer and I didn’t say anything.

They put us in the elevator and told us to push the button for floor 1 and go to apartment 3. They told us officers would be waiting. We went to the 1st floor, and made our way to apartment 3 where several officers escorted us outside and down the street.

I borrowed my neighbor’s cell phone and called my husband. I told him I had been evacuated and I didn’t have shoes. My husband left his meeting, and started to run from downtown toward home. When he arrived several blocks away, the officers told him to go back. He finally talked to an officer and told him that his wife was close to the incident and that he could see me in a black t-shirt standing in a group of people. The officer started to escort him down the street, and I saw him and started walking toward him. Once the officer saw me coming toward them, he let my husband continue on his own.

At one point I told a female officer that I had paranoid schizophrenia and that I would need my medication by 5. The officer took my name, my apartment number, and where I kept my medication. She came back twice during the ordeal to update me on getting my medication. She was truly compassionate, took my illness and needs seriously and was more than willing to help me try and get what I needed.

We learned that the original call to police was a domestic disturbance and when the police arrived the man in the apartment building next to ours shot at the police barely missing an officer.

We spent the next 4-5 hours standing on the street, waiting for the stand-off between the shooter and the police to be over. The police were eventually able to take the shooter into custody. Thankfully, no one got hurt.

We were let back in our home at approximately 3. My feet were sore and dirty, my face was sunburnt, my back hurt, and I was on the verge of tears.

Gun Violence, Stigma and Mental Health

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in mental illness

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

acitivist, advocacy, Advocate, bipolar, depression, gun violence, guns, huffington post, mass shootings, mental health, mental health reform, mental illness, mentally ill, police killings, prisons, psychiatry, psychology, schizophrenia, violence, writing

I may be able to say it with more emotion, but I can not say it with as much clarity, for all of you who are advocates, please read this article. It is so well done. Some people understand so clearly and are writing about it.

The article is about the truth behind why we are currently looking at changing mental health laws right now…basically, because the mentally ill are blamed for the gun violence in this country.  The statistics don’t back this up. It is true a high number of mentally ill people are in prison, but most of them are there for non-violent crimes.

This article also points out that a mentally ill person is shot by police every 36 hours, and that after one of our recent tragedies with a mass shooter, the public said they didn’t want a mentally ill neighbor.

I encourage you to read it. It is so important.

Tragedy Strikes Again and we need to Think about it

24 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in mental illness

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

acitivist, advocacy, Advocate, guns, hospitals, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, psychosis, racism, shootings, terrorism, violence

I am posting this so you will be aware that there has been another horrific shooting in the United States. This is becoming a pattern. It really is.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/24/us/louisiana-theater-shooting/

Our country has so much to deal with right now. The tension and violence are very high. We are battling racism. We are suffering from increased levels of gun violence. We are seeing increased incidents of terrorism. We are suffering from a crumbling mental health system (no open beds for people who are psychotic).

Things have to change. People are dying almost daily over these issues. We have to think of new solutions, we have to vote for people who will create real change.

A short post to ask people to think of ways they may be able to contribute to changing the current social problems.  Don’t forget, one person really can change the world. It may be you!

The Recent Shootings and Mental Illness

20 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in bipolar, mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

advocacy, america, bipolar, discrimination, dylann roof, guns, insanity, killings, media, mental health, mental illness, murder, psychiatry, psychology, racism, stereotypes, stigma, tragedy

I cried yesterday morning. Crying isn’t unusual for me, I cry easily, but the reason I cried is a first. It is a first in my lifetime. It is an amazing time for mental health advocates, and it just might be the beginning of a new world for those of us with a mental illness.

People are not letting it happen. People are speaking out and pushing back.  The media tried to say mental illness was the cause of the horrific murders of nine people in South Carolina, and for once, there are writers pushing back on the stereotypes. It’s not going to be allowed to happen this time. Our illnesses are not going to be used as the cause of the violence in America.

You can read an article from The Stranger, here.  You can read another article from Salon, here. Read them and mourn for those nine victims and their families, but rejoice that this time, a mass shooting is not going to be tied to the mentally ill.

These are two great articles, but that is not all. I read it on people’s Facebook statuses. The posters I read were vocal about not calling the shooter, mentally ill.  They want it to be considered as, and be remembered as, and be tried as, exactly what it is, a crime of hate.

There is hatred in America, and that is the root cause of these tragic killings.  I think we would all agree that the real definition of insanity is to go into a church, participate in Bible study, and then open fire on the people you just worshipped with.  That is true insanity, and has nothing to do with mental illness.

We must keep the victims of this tragedy at the heart of the issues here. They deserve to be remembered, and they deserve justice, and they deserve a society that works hard to try and change the climate that would make their deaths by a gunman in a church even possible.

We must remember those beautiful lives first, but we must also know that our voices have been heard. The tide is changing. The stereotypes are losing some of their power and hold on the minds of the American people. Now, I challenge you, my fellow mental health advocates, to make sure that you also help eliminate stereotypes about all people whenever and wherever you encounter them.

We gained some territory, but let’s help everyone who is discriminated against, who has to live with stereotypes to gain some fresh ground too.  We know what it is like to live with cruel jokes. We know what it is like to have so much misunderstanding, ignorance and hatred thrown our way. Let’s help all the other people who suffer in a way similar to ours.

If one of us wins, we all win. The struggle continues.

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