Please understand: I do not, of course, condone the Saturday shooting spree–the actions of Jared Loughner in Arizona that killed six, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old and wounded 13 others, including beloved congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
When news came out Sunday about the Loughner's incoherent rants on YouTube and other social media, Husband 2.0 and I looked at one another and said: "schizophrenia." Besides the incoherent rants about government (government, Christ and aliens are favorite topics of people with the disorder,) Loughner displayed the classic signs: a quirky but somewhat normal male who changed during his late teens and early adulthood.
Schizophrenia and other mental illness happens. To otherwise normal families. It is a mental illness. A brain disorder affecting approximately 1 in 100 people. It's manageable with significant amounts of medication and treatment.
Why I'm writing about this is because I take such great offense with Sen. John McCain's statement that Loughner is "a disgrace to the human race."
No, Sen. McCain. Loughner is a young man with mental illness who has committed a serious crime. Just like you, he is a child of God, regardless of his actions. According to scriptures, both McCain and Loughner are created in God's image.
Columbine. Virginia Tech. Now Arizona, joins a host of other tragic mass crimes committed by (mostly) young men with untreated mental illnesses.
The Arizona crime is a disgrace. Not the person. The systems that fail to serve, the systems that fail to coordinate and connect and communicate. How we perceive and treat God's children amongst us who have mental illness…That's. A. Disgrace.
Also see: Jared Loughner is a Tragedy Not a Nut Job or the Embodiment of Evil
Oh, Leisa. I so agree.
Well-written and thought-provoking, as always. I believe people want a quick answer and/or a quick something or someone to “blame.” It’s much easier to villify the individual (or the media, environment, etc.) than to deal with the real issues and responsibility that ultimately falls upon us all.
Well, put, Mary, especially last line. Thank you.
Leisa,
Oh, my. Just read through this. I think you’ll like it. It’s piercing.
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2011/01/lets-get-this-straight.html
Thank you, Mary!
Thank you!
In all fairness to Senator McCain, I don’t think he is referring to his mental illness as the disgrace, he is referring to the shooters actions.
Are you telling me that at no point in time did someone point out to this young man that he may have been ill and needed to take positive action?
I think that when people are ill, they are responsible for doing the things that keep them healthy. Lots of people have that illness. As you pointed out, the figures indicate that one in every hundred people have it.
Many people manage their illness successfully while others are not as meticulous and then things get out of control. It is the irresponsibility of the individual, once they recognize their illness, to take their medication and do what is necessary to prevent harm to themselves and others.
Sylvie, I’ll take your comment point by point. 🙂
You wrote: “In all fairness to Senator McCain, I don’t think he is referring to his mental illness as the disgrace, he is referring to the shooters actions.”
Well, I agree that McCain was not pointing out the perpetrator’s mental illness. That is why I wrote this. He said the person himself was a disgrace to the human race. I don’t believe that about anyone. I believe his blanket comment failed to take into consideration that Loughner was a human who was/is affected by mental illness. He simply damned the individual with his comment. At least with Adam Lanza, we are looking at mental illness issues and not just dumping all our anger on the person.
You wrote: “Are you telling me that at no point in time did someone point out to this young man that he may have been ill and needed to take positive action? ”
I have no idea if that happened or not and even if they did that would not solve mental illness. Many people who have mental illness do not know they are unwell and/or have difficulty controlling the illness.
You wrote: “I think that when people are ill, they are responsible for doing the things that keep them healthy. Lots of people have that illness. As you pointed out, the figures indicate that one in every hundred people have it.”
Mental illness can be so debilitating that the person with it has difficulty taking responsibility, or as I’ve said before thinks they are fine. It can be all consuming with delusions and hallucinations, etc., in some cases.
You wrote: “Many people manage their illness successfully while others are not as meticulous and then things get out of control. It is the irresponsibility of the individual, once they recognize their illness, to take their medication and do what is necessary to prevent harm to themselves and others.”
And many are not capable. They are sick and unwell. Mental illness can also come on very suddenly and it takes years for the person to get appropriate help and even to realize they need help.