Discussing Mental Illness in the Wake of Tragedy

 I  started writing the following a few weeks ago so now I am a little late to the table in posting, but perhaps that is for the best because it is a topic all too often forgotten as soon as the next piece of "breaking news" makes air.  So consider this post a painful reminder of current issues that beg for our attention on behalf of those who do not have the voice to ask for it themselves.

Sadly, within a week's time, two young adults have taken the lives of others as well as their own.  First, in Santa Barbara and then within walking distance from my home, in my very own neighborhood.  In both instances, before any details could be made known, there was an immediate rush to call for gun control.  Not to mention, a frenzy of finger pointers, looking to lay blame.  I cannot imagine the pain, frustration, and depth of loss the parents of the UC Santa Barbara students are experiencing.  Nor can I know the hurt and confusion the family of the young man who shot his parents and sister are feeling.  These two situations are devastating, and the affects of the loss ripple through their respective communities.  And the timing of the two affected me deeply.

Mental Illness is so misunderstood by so many, that it takes only one or two uneducated comments made by TV reporters to create a stir of public mutiny.  We, the majority, the 'mentally sound', cannot grasp why or how someone could so coldheartedly take the lives of others......they must be crazy!  They must be mentally ill!

Only 3 to 5 percent of mentally ill contribute to violent crime.  They are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.  It is easier for the media and our government to lay blame with gun control or lack there of, rather than getting to the heart of the matter, the mental health system, or lack thereof, and the insurance industry.  Gun control would appear to be the 'quick fix'.  The legislators in favor of it make some noise when mass shootings occur, claiming that we need to take guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.  Yet just weeks later, where are they?  They don't want to do the dirty work required to look beyond gun control, and pass mental health legislation that sits on their collective desks for years.  They would rather stir the pot, and therefor the masses.

In most cases, going back to Columbine, these mass shootings were very deliberate, and methodically planned.  They were carried out by individuals who craved attention in the darkest of ways.  They were bound and determined to be "infamous".   Sadly, they make news for a short time and soon forgotten, while the victims families are left devastated, their lives changed completely.

What needs to happen?  A series of changes need to be implemented, from the mental health system, legislation, the insurance industry and law enforcement.  There is systemic ripple affect for those diagnosed and undiagnosed with some form of mental illness, getting lost in the cracks of society. 

Early mental health intervention:  If you are fortunate enough, as a parent, to see any warning signs of mental illness in your child's formative years then you have the opportunity to seek early intervention with a therapist or psychiatrist.  Your roadblock will be the insurance companies.  They won't cover the doctor you really want to see because the psychiatrists and therapists worth seeing, don't want to play the insurance industry's game.  The insurance industry wants to tie the hands of the doctors who help our children by limiting the number of sessions covered per year, and controlling the medications prescribed  by the professionals.  Doctors want to treat their patients without the interference of the bottom line.  I can't blame them!  But, it narrows options for many seeking help for their sick children.   And if you think that the Affordable Care Act will help, think again.  On the surface it makes many promises to improve the system, but when you dig deeper, nothing has been determined, nothing is set in stone.  And, as per usual, the government believes it knows best where your child is concerned.  Within the Affordable Care Act hides a program for home visits.  At first glance this sounds like a welcome provision for any parent who has a child with a mental illness or brain disorder.  But, in actuality it is a program that red flags children with social and/or developmental delays, children with low student achievement,  families with members in the armed services, and children of mothers under 21.  The government representative decides what is best for your child, and you must comply.  Oh, and if you are a smoker with a child in your home, they'll help you too.  Now, admittedly, I detest smoking, and if you are smoking around me in public, I will shame you with a look of disgust, but what you do in your home is your business.  The government doesn't feel the same, because if it is providing for or paying for your insurance coverage, then they dictate your choices. How is this considered health coverage?  And who are these representatives?  Are they mental health professionals who understand what your child's needs are, and what you deal with daily? And at the end of the day, mental health professionals in private practice still do not have to accept insurance, and for those of us seeking help in the private sector, we are once again on our own. I don't ask that the playing field be leveled, life is not fair and full of challenge, but this is not a three ring circus, and we should not have to jump through countless hoops in order to receive the necessary tools to both protect and care for our loved ones.

In my next post I will be discussing legislation for the mentally ill and their caretakers.  There is currently quite a bit happening in this arena including bipartisan cooperation in congress, who would have thought! 

The topic of violent crimes and the mentally ill is very tender and painful but a discussion very much needed, and I pray what follows is measurable change. 





resources for this blog post:
www.bipolarchildsupport.com/ObamaCareTruth.html