Mental Illness and the Media
It is in the news again. In a negative light. It's always negative. When was the last time you heard something positive about someone with a mental illness? No wonder there is all this stigma against mental illness. The stereotypes will continue to occur as long as the media continues to represent mental illness as something dangerous.
The Navy Yardman killing 12 and later releasing "he has been suffering a host of serious mental problems, including paranoia and a sleep disorder, and had been hearing voices in his head" stated by officals and later posted on MSN. Search mental illness and violence and a plethora of information can be found. From the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to Andrea Yates; the one who experienced severe depression before killing and drowning her own children in the bath tub. Here we are, years later, and still fighting the stigma of mental illness and violence.
But what is being done about it? Throwing the mentally ill behind bars for crimes they committed during an episode fixes nothing. Let me repeat that, for those of you who may have misunderstood, throwing mentally ill behind bars fixes absolutely NOTHING. All it does is contain the individuals who will continue to decline on the tax payers dollar. While it is true, a mental illness can be dangerous, it is also true that a mental illness can be properly managed. The mental health system needs to be restructured with a different perception. Those with a mental illness can hold a job, can experience a healthy loving relationship, can educate others on their illness, as well as live a life full of joy - as long as it is managed.
How do you manage your mental health? If you have been diagnosed with a mental illness, the first step is learning all you can about your illness. It is no different than someone with cancer. Those with cancer have to make lifestyle changes, and so does someone with a mental illness. The steps are similar but different. Correct the mental health system and we can begin to understand mental illness from a different perspective. We need to share stories of hope, recovery, remission, and survival of a mental illness. We don't need to continue to listen to the media and their reports that we need tougher laws on gun violence and the mentally ill. No. What we need is an understanding and a helping hand, not a hand-out.
References Know.org. (2012, Dec). Violence and Mentall Illness: Is There A Link? http://kuow.org/post/violence-and-mental-illness-there-link Zongker, B. (2013). Navy Yard gunman told police he was hearing voices. MSN News. http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/gunman-in-navy-yard-rampage-was-hearing-voices
(UPDATE 7.10.2017)
Nearly four years later and a man in northern MN steals a car (at gunpoint) with his young daughter, drives 10 miles, and calls On-Star for someone to help his daughter because he was having suicidal thoughts. The man is dead after pointing and shooting the gun at officers. Nothing more is known about the case. It is a sad day when a man calls for his daughter, knowing his intentions of dying, because whatever was going on in his life was too painful to talk to someone.
The Navy Yardman killing 12 and later releasing "he has been suffering a host of serious mental problems, including paranoia and a sleep disorder, and had been hearing voices in his head" stated by officals and later posted on MSN. Search mental illness and violence and a plethora of information can be found. From the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to Andrea Yates; the one who experienced severe depression before killing and drowning her own children in the bath tub. Here we are, years later, and still fighting the stigma of mental illness and violence.
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But what is being done about it? Throwing the mentally ill behind bars for crimes they committed during an episode fixes nothing. Let me repeat that, for those of you who may have misunderstood, throwing mentally ill behind bars fixes absolutely NOTHING. All it does is contain the individuals who will continue to decline on the tax payers dollar. While it is true, a mental illness can be dangerous, it is also true that a mental illness can be properly managed. The mental health system needs to be restructured with a different perception. Those with a mental illness can hold a job, can experience a healthy loving relationship, can educate others on their illness, as well as live a life full of joy - as long as it is managed.
How do you manage your mental health? If you have been diagnosed with a mental illness, the first step is learning all you can about your illness. It is no different than someone with cancer. Those with cancer have to make lifestyle changes, and so does someone with a mental illness. The steps are similar but different. Correct the mental health system and we can begin to understand mental illness from a different perspective. We need to share stories of hope, recovery, remission, and survival of a mental illness. We don't need to continue to listen to the media and their reports that we need tougher laws on gun violence and the mentally ill. No. What we need is an understanding and a helping hand, not a hand-out.
References Know.org. (2012, Dec). Violence and Mentall Illness: Is There A Link? http://kuow.org/post/violence-and-mental-illness-there-link Zongker, B. (2013). Navy Yard gunman told police he was hearing voices. MSN News. http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/gunman-in-navy-yard-rampage-was-hearing-voices
(UPDATE 7.10.2017)
Nearly four years later and a man in northern MN steals a car (at gunpoint) with his young daughter, drives 10 miles, and calls On-Star for someone to help his daughter because he was having suicidal thoughts. The man is dead after pointing and shooting the gun at officers. Nothing more is known about the case. It is a sad day when a man calls for his daughter, knowing his intentions of dying, because whatever was going on in his life was too painful to talk to someone.
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